To: The Vermont State House, The Vermont State Senate, and Governor Phil Scott
Take Action to Keep Vermont Schools Safe
Dear Governor Scott, Senators and Representatives,
“I’m just going to see if I can fit in the cabinets.”
“I don’t think that corner is the safest.”
“Why are they telling us to huddle together anyway?”
“What if a shooting happens between classes or in the cafeteria?”
These are quotes from Essex High School students since the massacre in Parkland, FL. The senseless deaths leave us shaken.
Only days later, we learned that Vermont had narrowly avoided a similar situation. While we are grateful for Vermont Law Enforcement’s swift and strong response, we wonder: What if Dutchess County Sheriff's Office in Poughkeepsie, New York had not gotten in touch with Fair Haven police so quickly?
We the undersigned believe:
Children have the right to a free and appropriate education (FAPE) and this right should not be limited by the right of another to own a weapon capable of inflicting mass casualties. An appropriate education can only be conducted in a safe, low-stress environment. In the current climate, many students and teachers do not feel safe, creating immense stress for everyone.
Schools should be a safe place for all students and teachers. No teacher should be expected to “take a bullet” on the job and no student should die while pursuing an education.
The legislature must act immediately to decrease the number of guns in circulation. The research on the effectiveness of gun control has been done. Countries with fewer guns per capita have fewer deaths per capita due to guns.
The legislature must support universal background checks and thereby limit access to guns by those known to have a violent past or violent tendencies. Around the state, school administrators have again been sending out the sorts of letters that follow most school shootings. These advise parents, students and teachers that there is a plan in place to deal with school shootings and that all threats are investigated. However, individuals known by professionals to be at high risk for harming others still have access to guns.
Vermont has long been a leader on social issues. If there is an attack, the current plan is simple: hide, then hope. Schools rehearse this several times each year and have meetings to discuss new hiding places. We are supposed to feel reassured because administrators and law enforcement meet regularly. This reactive approach is far from the best we can do.
We need to take proactive measures to make it harder to murder people in droves. We cannot continue to hope that clues will be left in the right places and reported to helpful authorities. “Thoughts and prayers” will not fix this. We can’t count on “The Grace of God” to intervene.
Please, now and in the future, do all that you can to make our schools safe.
“I’m just going to see if I can fit in the cabinets.”
“I don’t think that corner is the safest.”
“Why are they telling us to huddle together anyway?”
“What if a shooting happens between classes or in the cafeteria?”
These are quotes from Essex High School students since the massacre in Parkland, FL. The senseless deaths leave us shaken.
Only days later, we learned that Vermont had narrowly avoided a similar situation. While we are grateful for Vermont Law Enforcement’s swift and strong response, we wonder: What if Dutchess County Sheriff's Office in Poughkeepsie, New York had not gotten in touch with Fair Haven police so quickly?
We the undersigned believe:
Children have the right to a free and appropriate education (FAPE) and this right should not be limited by the right of another to own a weapon capable of inflicting mass casualties. An appropriate education can only be conducted in a safe, low-stress environment. In the current climate, many students and teachers do not feel safe, creating immense stress for everyone.
Schools should be a safe place for all students and teachers. No teacher should be expected to “take a bullet” on the job and no student should die while pursuing an education.
The legislature must act immediately to decrease the number of guns in circulation. The research on the effectiveness of gun control has been done. Countries with fewer guns per capita have fewer deaths per capita due to guns.
The legislature must support universal background checks and thereby limit access to guns by those known to have a violent past or violent tendencies. Around the state, school administrators have again been sending out the sorts of letters that follow most school shootings. These advise parents, students and teachers that there is a plan in place to deal with school shootings and that all threats are investigated. However, individuals known by professionals to be at high risk for harming others still have access to guns.
Vermont has long been a leader on social issues. If there is an attack, the current plan is simple: hide, then hope. Schools rehearse this several times each year and have meetings to discuss new hiding places. We are supposed to feel reassured because administrators and law enforcement meet regularly. This reactive approach is far from the best we can do.
We need to take proactive measures to make it harder to murder people in droves. We cannot continue to hope that clues will be left in the right places and reported to helpful authorities. “Thoughts and prayers” will not fix this. We can’t count on “The Grace of God” to intervene.
Please, now and in the future, do all that you can to make our schools safe.
Why is this important?
We are teachers and parents and want our children to be safe.