Everytown raises two of the most urgent issues confronting our country:
I ask myself this question every morning – “Where do we go from here?” It is a combination of wondering about what is next on the horizon with COVID at school and the impact of escalating violence we are seeing in our school communities. Gun violence meets COVID in the hallways and classrooms of our nation’s schools & yet we are fighting each other over protecting our children!
What is safety in an unsafe world? Where do we find safety for ourselves, our children, our school communities? The pandemic brought how fleeting safety is to light. Mass shootings remind us over and over again how unsafe public spaces can suddenly become, especially schools. The collision of COVID-19 and gun violence is unfolding before our eyes, pay attention.
I have lived enough decades to have a wide-angle view of history and have never felt this deep of a divide. It is fueled by what is at stake, the present and future health and well-being of our children. We are at odds with each other over issues of life and death. These are not just philosophical discussions; lives have been lost and continue to be at stake.
School safety was precarious prior to COVID19. The intersection of COVID-19 and gun violence, two epidemics ravaging our country, is school. We need to center the health and safety of our children. Mask up, get vaccinated and boosted, and for the well-being of our children, lock up your firearms. If you want to exercise your freedoms, choose safety, choose to protect children, and remember to choose wisely, our youth are watching.
