The withdrawal of federal funding for hunting and archery courses raises concerns with a school official who says those courses are a significant “academic motivator.”
“They must be preserved,” Tommy Floyd, the president of the National Archery in the Schools Program (NASP), told The Epoch Times.
A spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) told The Epoch Times that the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (BSCA) prohibits funding earmarked under the 1965 Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) to be used “for the provision to any person of a dangerous weapon.”
U.S. Code, the spokesperson said, defines a dangerous weapon as any “device, instrument, material, or substance, animate or inanimate, that is used for, or is readily capable of, causing death or serious bodily injury, except that such term does not include a pocket knife with a blade of less than 2 ½ inches in length.”
“As noted above, this prohibition applies to all ESEA funds,” the DOE spokesperson said. “The prohibition went into effect immediately on June 25, 2022, and applies to all existing and future awards under all ESEA programs, including 21st CCLC [Century Community Learning Centers]. The Department is administering the bipartisan law as written by Congress.”
The intent of the legislation passed in the wake of the Uvalde, Texas, school shooting is to expand mental health services, according to the Office of Elementary & Secondary Education, and provide $1 billion in support for school districts to implement initiatives “that will promote safer, more inclusive, and positive school environments for all students, educators, and school staff.”
Several Democrats, including Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy, and North Carolina Republican Sen. Thom Tillis sponsored the legislation.
Both Sen. Tillis and Republican Texas Sen. John Cornyn called the interpretation of the legislation a misinterpretation in a letter to Education Secretary Miguel Cardona, stating that the DOE’s interpretation goes against the law’s intent.
‘A Positive, Enriching Environment’
Removing shooting sports from the school curriculum, according to Mr. Floyd, isn’t going to help students or their schools, however, adding that there are “countless examples” that the programs keep students involved in schools while contributing to other academic endeavors.“We have survey data that shows that 58 percent of our student archers have been engaged with their school,” Mr. Floyd said. “They have found a reason to be connected and if you talk to any educator, they’ll tell you that a connected student is a student much easier to reach for math, science, social studies, and language arts.”
For many, archery itself is a metaphor for setting goals, aiming for the target, and shooting for those goals utilizing focus, self-control, and patience.
NASP has received numerous anecdotal reminders from parents that their child has excelled because of the archery program, Mr. Floyd said, and it troubles him that if shooting sports are banned from schools, it would greatly hinder their success.
NASP programs are found in 49 states with 1.3 million students in just under 9,000 schools, Mr. Floyd said.
It’s trained over 104,000 archery instructors who have become a positive influence on the students, especially for those who are lacking role models, Mr. Floyd said.
“We are at our 21-year mark and have had 21 million students having participated with an impeccable safety record, and that safety record is because of the wonderful people in the schools that run our program with integrity,” Mr. Floyd said. “Everything we do is grounded in safety.”
The instruction sets the bar for high expectations in the classroom with sportsmanship and honesty, Mr. Floyd said.
“All of these character traits can be attributed to these students who have participated in shooting sports,” Mr. Floyd said. “It’s a positive, enriching environment that’s very healthy for our nation.”
Mr. Floyd, who’s worked in public schools for over 30 years in various positions ranging from teacher to superintendent, said finding a way to activate students’ interest in school is imperative.
“And in this time, after the COVID pandemic, so many students have been isolated and didn’t have the positive engagement, and we know that shooting sports positive experiences for kids,” Mr. Floyd said. “I really don’t want to think about that not being a possibility for them.”
