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April 21, 2000/16 Nisan 5760, Vol. 52, No.33
GOP: Teach tolerance, but don't say 'hate crimes'
SHARON SAMBER
Jewish Telegraphic Agency
WASHINGTON - Federal funding for hate crimes prevention programs in America's schools, in place since 1994, is in jeopardy.
Apparently, the problem is with the phrase "hate crimes."
If those words were not used, some Republicans say, the funding might not be at risk.
But supporters of the programs say the need for prevention should not be ignored.
Parents and political candidates often cite safety as a top priority for the nation's schools, especially since last year's Columbine High School shooting, which some have called a hate crime.
Support for prevention programs is now caught up in the larger debate on hate crimes legislation, which would remove impediments to federal prosecution of crimes committed on the basis of race, religion, color or national origin, and would expand federal protections to crime victims who were singled out because of their sexual orientation, gender or disability.
Hate crimes prevention programs have been included in education funding bills since 1994. Since then, the Department of Education has spent millions of dollars on different initiatives across the country.
"Tens of thousands of students have been impacted by these programs," said Michael Lieberman, Washington counsel for the Anti-Defamation League.
Lieberman said the anti-bias and hate crimes prevention programs are a "critical component" of the current law. Many programs to reduce the incidence of bias-motivated crimes have been developed and piloted in local communities nationwide.
Also in use in schools are materials that promote awareness of alternatives to violence and improve conflict resolution skills of students, teachers and administrators.
Some anti-bias materials developed or produced by the Department of Education include "Healing the Hate," a national bias-crime prevention curriculum for middle schools, and Protecting Students from Harassment and Hate Crime, a resource guide for teachers.
The Department of Education gave the ADL a $200,000 grant to develop "Stop the Hate," a yearlong program to inform school administrators about hate crimes and instruct teachers in the skills needed to combat prejudice and discrimination. The program was used in San Diego, Los Angeles, New York and Omaha.
Federal funding for the programs is intact on the Senate side because an amendment to strip the hate crimes prevention language out of the education funding bill was defeated. On the House side, however, the language has already been stripped from the legislation, so it must be reintroduced.
The House Education and Workforce Committee debated the Elementary and Secondary Education Reauthorization Act last week. Rep. Robert Scott (D-Va.) introduced an amendment that would restore to the Department of Education its authority to fund hate crimes prevention programs, but the amendment was defeated.
Scott had proposed that a certain percentage of Safe and Drug-Free Schools money be reserved for hate-crimes prevention programs to combat prejudice and intolerance. The funding for that program accounts for about $1 billion in state grants and $20 million in national programs.
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