MILWAUKEE, WI - A national coalition has urged immediate federal action against school shootings. This after recent acts of violence in some schools across the nation, including the Parkland Florida mass shooting.
The board of directors for this coalition is chaired by MPS Superintendent Dr. Darienne Driver. According to Dr. Driver, the goal of this resolution is to honor the voices of students pleading for tougher gun legislation and stronger mental health support in schools.
“We can’t go to [a] school where we come to feel safe and get an education and feel like we’re going to die in the hallways," one student said.
"My brother was killed by gun violence," another student cried.
It’s this plea, along with thousands of others just like it across the nation —that has prompted The Council of the Great City Schools, a national urban schools coalition to act.
“People ask me what keeps me up at night," Driver said.
"It’s keeping my children safe," she continued.
Driver helped draft the coalitions latest resolution related to school safety. She also stood in solidarity with students at Rufus King High School Wednesday, March 14 during a school walk out in the wake of the Parkland, Florida mass shooting.
“This was a student-led initiative, and they’ve said it best —life is not a partisan issue, and our students have the right to be educated in a safe environment," Driver said.
The resolution urges the U.S. Congress to ban the sale, purchase, possession, and use of assault weapons except those needed by military and law enforcement. The resolution also calls on the president to help reduce the number of gun-related injuries and deaths in America.
