Recognizing Achievement in Classified School Employees Act

Floor Speech

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Ms. TITUS. Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend for yielding and for her support of this bill that creates the RISE Award.

I would like to address the bill before you by telling you the story of Ms. Virginia Mills. Ms. Mills started her career as a security guard at William E. Orr Middle School in District One in Las Vegas over two decades ago.

Almost immediately upon getting to the school, she saw that children were going to school without backpacks on their shoulders to carry their books and equipment. She saw athletes trying out for the basketball team without having the proper shoes on their feet. She saw children who didn't have enough clothes to make it through the whole week without changing.

So in her very first month on the job, taking old items from her own daughter's closet, she started a clothes closet for middle school students in need. She first enlisted the help of friends, then teachers, and then community members. Eventually, the closet grew to include school supplies and even food for children to take home on the weekends, when they might otherwise go hungry.

Ms. Mills has watched these students grow over the years to become assemblymen and -women in the legislature, business leaders, and community organizers. She said: ``Giving a helping hand to these students has inspired them to become better adults . . . . They now understand the importance of paying it forward.''

Virginia Mills has improved the lives of so many middle school students in my district, and she has filled a gap that too many young people are in danger of falling into. And she wanted me to tell you that she didn't do it alone.

There are countless people in our schools, including security guards who do more than keep students safe; they keep them motivated. There are bus drivers who provide more than just a ride; they offer friendship. There are counselors and nurses and cafeteria workers who strive tirelessly behind the scenes to ensure the success of our students in our schools. Yet, too often, their contributions go unrecognized.

That is why I introduced this bipartisan legislation to celebrate the critical role that school staff plays in helping our students learn and enabling our teachers to teach.

The contributions of these vital school employees can't really be measured, but they can and should be recognized.

It is in our children's interest and certainly in our national interest for the Department of Education to present these RISE Awards to people like Virginia Mills who have made such a profound impact on our Nation's youth. So for those who work so hard to help our students become the best versions of themselves, I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes.''

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