November 2, 1999
Web posted at: 2:40 p.m. EST (1940 GMT)

GORHAM, New Hampshire (CNN) -- Schoolchildren must be taught to discern "right from wrong" as the foundation of a system of "moral education," Texas Gov. George W. Bush, the GOP presidential front-runner, said Tuesday in a speech outlining several education proposals.

Bush, appearing before a luncheon meeting of the Northern White Mountain Chamber of Commerce, said children "must be educated in reading and writing, but also in right and wrong."

Gov. George W. Bush spoke Tuesday on education

"Problems occur when adults do not defend the rules," Bush said.

Bush, who looked no worse for the wear after his near-encounter with a dump truck while jogging in Austin, Texas, on Monday, was making his first appearance in New Hampshire after skipping last week's GOP candidate forum at Dartmouth College. Bush had cited a family commitment while explaining his absence, but vowed to make a swing through New Hampshire in the coming days.

Bush's moral education agenda rounds out his ambitious national education platform, which he has revealed in stages in recent weeks.

Citing recent tragedies such as the massacre at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado, earlier this year, Bush pledged to improve the safety records of public schools, describing unsafe schools as "the ultimate betrayal of adult responsibility" to students.

Bush said he would work to revamp the federal government's Safe and Drug Free Schools Act, which he described as ineffective and lacking in accountability. Renewed and more vigorous standards of accountability would be required of all schools receiving money under the act, he said, and students whose schools did not demonstrate marked improvement would be allowed to transfer to other facilities.

In addition, Bush called for a no-tolerance policy in dealing with children who bring firearms into schools. Minors who break federal laws barring guns in schools would be barred from ever again purchasing or possessing a firearm under any circumstances, he said.

Bush also proposed the construction of legal shields for teachers or school administrators who move to preserve order and discipline in student ranks, saying too many teachers are now hesitant to do so because of the implied threat of lawsuits filed by students.

"Learning must no longer be held hostage to brazen behavior," he said.

Lastly, Bush said, schools across the country would be encouraged to create academic programs based on strong values and character building. These programs, he added, need not be based on religious preference, though he said children of various religious faiths should be allowed to demonstrate their devotion on school property, during school hours.

Charities and faith-based organizations should be allowed to participate in the creation of after-school activities, Bush said, adding that instructions in sexual abstinence would be an "urgent goal of my administration."

Ultimately, the GOP front-runner told his New Hampshire North Country audience, a proper moral education begins with mothers and fathers, though schools should be expected to carry on the lessons begun in the home.

"This begins with parents," Bush said. "But I know it is easy for a politician to say this.

"A president has broader influence and a deeper legacy than the laws he proposes," Bush said in reference to quest to gain access to the nation's so-called bully pulpit. "It is an awesome charge, a charge I plan to keep."

Tuesday, November 2, 1999

• GOP wins control of Virginia's General Assembly
• Smith named committee chair
• Chafee's son named to fill father's Senate seat
• GOP front-runner Bush calls for system of 'moral education'
• Senate passes last spending bill under a veto threat
• Moseley-Braun confirmation hearings postponed
• Des Moines Register: Bradley shifts stance on Freedom to Farm Act
• Western Republicans criticize Clinton's forest proposal
• Republicans question big government lawsuits against industry
• House rejects measure for electronic signatures
• GOP minimum wage bill draws veto threat
• Administration, congressional allies seeking immigration change

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