Right now, educators and families across the country are beginning a well-deserved winter break. But for many of us, closing our classroom doors for the year doesn’t mean the work stops.
While educators spend this time preparing lesson plans for the new year, we are also carrying a quiet weight. We see the headlines of the continual unfolding of school shootings, like the recent tragedy at Brown University, and we know that for our communities, the impact of gun violence doesn’t pause for the holidays.
We are also seeing school budgets tighten and essential in-school and after-school programs being cut. As educators, we know these programs are often the very safety nets that prevent violence before it begins. When these resources disappear, the risks to our neighborhoods and our students only grow.
At Teachers Unify, we believe every home and school should be a sanctuary. That is why we advocate so fiercely for prevention and secure storage. Through Project Lockdown, we are equipping educators and families with the tools to make secure firearm storage a normal, everyday practice. This work has the power to save lives at home and long before a crisis ever reaches a school gate.
Teachers Unify is a grassroots movement of educators across America whose mission is to empower its constituents and supporters to demand that communities are safe from gun violence.
