The Biden administration revealed to Fox News Digital that they are indeed withholding funds meant for certain elementary and secondary schools across the nation. In a statement by the Department of Education, they explained that based on the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (BSCA), which was passed by Congress last year as a result of the mass shootings any school with shooting sports activities would be blocked from receiving funding. This means that all schools with archery or hunting programs, or other shooting sport activities as defined in the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) of 1965 will be blocked from receiving funding.
The Department of Education spokesperson noted that this includes all ESEA funds and that the prohibition was first put into effect on June 25, 2022, and it applies to both current and future awards that will be given under ESEA programs.
The decision made by the department could affect thousands of schools across the country. Last week, Fox News Digital put out a report detailing the Department of Education’s funding decision which was shared with hunting education groups. The restrictions in funding have led to many worrying about the future of archery and hunting programs in schools.
The National Archery in the Schools Program president Tommy Floyd recently revealed that their organization had 1.3 million students from close to 9,000 different schools. Many of these schools have now decided to completely cancel the hunting and archery courses as a result of the new federal guidance. As he pointed out this is going to have a negative effect on children who could benefit from the responsibilities taught by these activities.
