President Joe Biden’s administration has confirmed that it is withholding funding from elementary and secondary schools that offer hunting and archery programs as part of the curriculum.
According to Fox News, the Department of Education made the funding decision in light of its interpretation of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (BSCA), which was passed last year in the aftermath of multiple mass shooting tragedies.
Based on the Department of Education’s decision, funding that has been earmarked for school shooting sport programs under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) of 1965 will be prohibited across the nation.
A spokesperson for the Department of Education told Fox News, “This prohibition applies to all ESEA funds. The prohibition went into effect immediately on June 25, 2022 and applies to all existing and future awards under all ESEA programs, including [21st Century Community Learning Centers]. The Department is administering the bipartisan law as written by Congress.”
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According to the Congressional Research Service, the ESEA serves as the primary source of elementary and secondary school’s federal aid in the United States.
The Biden administration’s decision to block funding for school hunting and archery programs is expected to have a major impact on thousands of schools across the United States and millions of students.
“The Biden administration is DEFUNDING school hunting and archery programs. Yes, you read that right — DEFUNDING them,” Rep. Tom Tiffany (R-Wisc.) tweeted after the Biden administration announced its decision to block school funding for hunting and archery programs. “Wisconsin students should not be pawns in Joe Biden’s misguided crusade against America’s sportsmen.”
Tommy Floyd, the president of the National Archery in the Schools Program, told Fox News that his organization includes 1.3 million students engaged in archery courses from roughly 9,000 schools spanning throughout 49 states in America.
According to Fox News, many schools have already decided to remove archery and hunting education courses from their curriculum as a result of the Biden administration’s recent actions.
“It’s a negative for children,” Floyd said. “As a former educator of 30-plus years, I was always trying to find a way to engage students. In many communities, it’s a shooting sport, and the skills from shooting sports, that help young people grow to be responsible adults. They also benefit from relationships with role models.”
