The first community college opened in 1901, and since that time, these valuable institutions of higher learning have educated countless minds and enriched numerous communities across our country. Today, there are more than 1,200 community colleges nationwide serving over 11 million students. In Arkansas’s Fourth Congressional District, we alone are home to eight that include: Cossatot Community College in DeQueen, National Park Community College in Hot Springs, Ouachita Technical College in Malvern, Rich Mountain Community College in Mena, South Arkansas Community College in El Dorado, Southeast Arkansas Community College in Pine Bluff, Southern Arkansas University Tech in Camden, and the University of Arkansas Community College at Hope.

As a member of the Congressional Community College Caucus and a Representative of Arkansas’s Fourth Congressional District, I recognize the value of these community colleges which are affordable and close to home for most Arkansans. Community Colleges create opportunities that cannot be realized elsewhere by allowing students to take part-time courses while working full-time jobs, or providing job training for workers to help them find a career path to support themselves and their families.

It is always a pleasure for me to visit the beautiful campuses of the Community Colleges in the Fourth Congressional District during my district work periods. I will continue to ensure these schools have the resources and tools needed to give students the training to provide a skilled workforce, which is critical to America’s success and prosperity in today’s global economy.

“Our food supply is critical to our national security and we must be confident we are importing the best and safest food sources for our families,” Ross said. “To ensure the safety and health of all Americans, we must place an immediate, nationwide ban on these potentially contaminated fish and have them removed from our stores.”

Recently, tests in Alabama found traces of the antibiotic fluoroquinolone in 13 of 20 samples of imported fish from China. This led Alabama’s Agriculture Department to place an official ban on the sale of all fish labeled as catfish imported from China. Subsequently, Wal-Mart stores nationwide have removed the entire stock of frozen Chinese fish sold under the guise of catfish fillets.

“This letter requests that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration take immediate precautionary action and ban foreign fish imported from China until further testing can be completed,” Ross said. “I applaud the state of Alabama for conducting such stringent tests to uncover this risk and I want to thank Mayor JoAnne Bush of Lake Village for bringing this matter to my attention and for her commitment to the catfish farmers of Arkansas.” 

Fluoroquinolone is an antibiotic that has harmful affects when consumed and was banned in the Untied States by the FDA in 1997. Ross’ letter to FDA Commissioner Dr. Andrew Von Eschenbach calls for immediate precautionary action as the amount of this contaminated foreign fish in circulation remains unknown.

-30-

TASD plans to use its award to provide additional opportunities for school hour and non-school hour physical activities for students. The Southwest Educational Cooperative will collaborate with TASD on this project by providing professional development activities in physical education.

"It is important that we make every effort to ensure the safety and health of our children by making a healthy lifestyle a priority in their lives," Ross said. "These funds will allow students of the Texarkana Arkansas School District to improve their physical well-being. In this day when childhood obesity is so rampant, educating today’s youth about good nutrition and activities to enhance physical, social or mental developments are critical to their development."

"Physical education is important to keeping our children active and healthy," said Lincoln. "I applaud the Texarkana Arkansas School District for obtaining federal dollars that will help further develop its physical education program."

"Plenty of exercise and good nutrition are vital to the health and well-being of children. This grant is well-deserved and will allow students to explore new activities as well as develop life-long healthy habits," said Pryor

The project will provide an alternative to the current program that places a heavy emphasis on varsity sports, by providing students access to developmentally appropriate activities including hiking, aerobics, strength training, and jumping rope. The program will also include instruction in healthy eating and good nutrition. Health and physical education teachers will participate in a variety of professional development activities that focus on state standards and frameworks in physical education and combating childhood obesity. Teachers will also receive instruction in implementing assessments to help students track their progress in meeting state physical education standards, as well as in providing instruction to students related to some of the new physical education equipment that will also be purchased under the grant.

The purpose of the Carol M. White Physical Education Program is to provide funds to local educational agencies and community-based organizations to initiate, expand, and improve physical education programs for K-12 students. The grant funds equipment, support, and the training and education of teachers and staff in an effort to meet state standards for physical education.

TASD, home to approximately 4,600 students, is comprised of one high school (9-12), one junior high school (7-8), one middle school (5-6), and five elementary schools (K-4).

-30-