Teachers’ unions demand action following yet another school shooting

‘Tragedies such as this keep happening while elected officials do nothing’

Uvalde, TX – Nineteen children were murdered Tuesday, May 24, when an 18-year-old gunman armed with several weapons burst into their fourth-grade classroom at Robb Elementary School in Ulvade, Texas and began shooting. At least three children were in critical condition.

The gunman also killed two adults, including the students’ teacher who threw herself in front of him, and he shot his grandmother in her home before going to the school.

National Education Association (NEA) President Becky Pringle and Texas State Teachers Association President Ovidia Molina issued a statement Tuesday as the death toll continued to mount:

“Our public schools should be one of the safest places for students and educators — but gunshots shattered the physical safety of the school community in Uvalde — and we lost 21 lives — 19 children and two teachers.

“Tragedies such as this keep happening while elected officials do nothing, except, in Texas’ case, make firearms more available,” Pringle and Molina wrote. “How many more mass shootings will there be before these lawmakers finally take responsibility and address the gun issue?

“We remain steadfastly committed to ending gun violence in our nation’s public schools and communities. We owe it to our students and educators to make our schools safe and welcoming places where every student can thrive.”

‘GUN VIOLENCE IS A CANCER’
“Within the span of a week, our country has witnessed two mass shootings, the gunning down of innocent people in what should be our community’s safest spaces,” said American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten. “As we await further details, some things are clear: These are despicable acts of hatred designed to terrorize us all. The communities of Buffalo and now Uvalde will join a long list of places that will never be the same. Our hearts are with all of them.

“Only in America do people go grocery shopping and get mowed down by a shooter with hate in his heart; only in this country are parents not assured that their kids will be safe at school.

“Gun violence is a cancer, and it’s one that none of us should tolerate for one single moment longer. We have made a choice to let this continue, and we can make a choice to finally do something—do anything—to put a stop to this madness.”

‘ANOTHER SENSELESS SCHOOL SHOOTING’
Illinois Federation of Teachers President Dan Montgomery issued the following statement Tuesday following reports of the shooting:

“Just last week, we grieved the tragic loss of life in Buffalo. Today, we mourn yet another senseless school shooting and the deaths of students and educators. There are no words to help the families through this tragedy. The unimaginable continues to happen in our schools where teachers, students, and parents should feel safe.

“We feel, too, for the educators and school staff who must cope with their own shock, grief, and fear to help their students, parents, and community heal. We understand how overwhelming that task must be and wish you strength and courage at this difficult time.

“These tragedies have become all too familiar, but we must not become numb to them. Brutality and senseless death should never feel ‘normal.’

“It is long past time for us all to come together – in our schools, our workplaces, and our communities – to end this deadly epidemic that is killing our children and devastating our communities. To do anything less is simply unthinkable.”