Union urges action that addresses root causes of gun violence.
CHICAGO, October 24, 2022 — The Chicago Teachers Union issued the statement below in wake of the Monday school shooting at Central Visual and Performing Arts High School in St. Louis:
“Tragically, in America, parents and families worry about their children’s safety at school with good reason. Today’s terrible shooting at Central Visual and Performing Arts High School is just another example of the work we must do as a nation to stop the cancer of gun violence that continues to infect our neighborhoods, plague our streets, and create an imbalance in our public schools.”
“This weekend, Chicago public school educators were in St. Louis for the annual Illinois Federation of Teachers Convention. That weekend was a powerful experience of collaboration with educators from across the state who all want the same thing: safe, welcoming, and loving school communities where students learn and thrive, educators are respected and supported, and families are empowered and engaged. Today’s terrible events have forced us to set aside our sense of collaborative joy for one of collective sorrow and mourning.
“Yet we must carry on. While we were the first to applaud the action taken by Congress this summer to curb the spread of gun violence in America, today, we are calling on our elected leaders at the state and federal levels to do more to ensure that our students and school communities are safe.
“For the three St. Louis victims killed, and for the hundreds more students, educators and families who are now contending with the consequences of gun violence – just as are the families of 51 Chicagoans shot and ten killed this last weekend – we call for an end to this madness. We need sensible gun reform and public policy that tackle the root causes of the inequities that drive gun violence.”
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