Supporters,

March has been a busy month of talking with elected leaders, meeting new people, and working hard to get legislation at all levels of government passed to help keep America’s students and staff safe at school.

We started off the month by joining a virtual discussion with director of the United States Domestic Policy Council Susan Rice, director of the White House Office of Public Engagement Cedric Richmond, and others from President Biden’s team about the ongoing efforts of our families to prevent mass school shootings.

Next, District 96 freshman State Representative Christine Hunschofsky invited Stand with Parkland president Tony Montalto to the opening day of the Florida legislative session. 

Attending the opening session energized us to continue our mission for safer schools that we have planned for this session. We look forward to working with legislators on both sides of the aisle to improve school safety in Florida.

Additionally, this month two of our founding members, Gena Hoyer and Tony Montalto, sat down and broadcast their discussion as they talked about the work that Stand with Parkland is doing. You can catch the whole show here:

We were pleased to see that our legislative partners were introducing (and passing!) pieces of legislation on both the state and federal level. 

• Rep. Ted Deutch and Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart worked together to introduce HR 1229, the Eagles Act with bipartisan support. If enacted, the act would expand the U.S. Secret Service’s National Threat Assessment Center to focus on school violence prevention on a national level.
• Our partners in the House helped to pass H.R. 8 which is focused on closing dangerous background check loopholes and making sure firearms are only in the hand of responsible owners.
• Also, State Rep. Chip LaMarca has continued to lead the way for further improvements to Florida’s education system. He introduced the 2021 House School Safety Package which will be instrumental in ensuring our students are safe as it gives timely notice to parents during an emergency.

Stay up to date on what we’re working on by following us on Twitter!

Sadly, at the end of March we heard about mass shootings in Atlanta, GA and Boulder, CO. At Stand with Parkland we know what it feels like to have a loved one taken from us via firearm violence. We stand with the families of those who were killed and we continue to be committed to supporting background checks, red flag laws, and other legislation to help keep firearms in the hands of responsible owners.

You can read our full statement on the latest shootings here.

Finally, the long awaited Secret Service report on school shootings and how to stop them was just released! This report shows that we can stop school shootings by paying particular attention to students that specifically display a variety of observable concerning behaviors as they escalate toward violence.

Stand with Parkland president Tony Montalto even talked about the report on CBS This Morning! Check it out:

We are continuing to work hard on the local, state, and federal level to change policies and enact laws that will keep students and staff safer in schools.

We’re making progress on the local, state, and federal levels, which means we can leave a lasting impact. Please consider a donation to support our work – every dollar has a real impact on school safety in this country.

Thank you,

-- Stand With Parkland