Our hearts are with the family of the student killed yesterday at Ingraham High School in Seattle, and the entire Ingraham and Seattle Public Schools community, following yesterday’s school shooting.
As a nation, we must urgently, deeply, and continuously address the hatred that leads to school shootings, as well as address the legal systems that enable access to weapons that are fueling gun-related deaths in our country.
Every child and adult inside of our nation’s school buildings deserves to be safe from harm. Full stop. Change is necessary at every level, including the policy level. In our capacity as a support organization, we will be working with our member schools to ensure that educators, parents, and students have the resources they need to process yesterday’s tragic shooting, and the relentless tragedies in our news cycles. As an advocacy organization, we will continue to look beyond our single issue of charter public schools and work across coalitions and movements to end senseless gun violence.
Resources:
National Association of School Psychologists – Talking to Children About Violence: Tips for Parents and Teachers and Helping Children Cope With Terrorism – Tips for Families and Educators
San Diego County Office of Education – Resources For Educators, Families To Discuss School Shootings
Colorín Colorado: a bilingual site for educators and families of English language learners – 15 Tips for Talking with Children About Violence
Child Mind Institute – Talking to Kids About Racism and Violence and Helping Children Cope With Frightening News