ALBANY, NY —
New York State Council of School Superintendents President Phyllis Harrington and Executive Director Charles Dedrick issued the following statement today:
Never Again
When will we as a nation say never again to children going off to school, not to come home again? Now has to be the time. We urge our nation’s leaders to come together and enact common sense measures supported by the majority of Americans that will help put an end to the horrific murders we are witnessing.
Every superintendent goes to bed at night asking themselves, are we doing enough to protect our students tomorrow? We ask for the same from our elected leaders. Have we all done enough to ensure the safety of the children, teachers and staff as they set foot in our schools? Families deserve to know they are a priority and that each person’s safety is an actual birthright.
According to our Declaration of Independence, “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” are the unalienable rights that government has been created to protect. It is time for our elected leaders to take that historical phrase more seriously.
According to AASA, the School Superintendents Association, there have been 27 school shootings in 2022. That is 27 school shootings too many. Obviously yesterday’s murders in Uvalde, Texas are an unimaginable event among the many. We at NYSCOSS stand in support of our colleagues across the state and nation and call on our elected leaders to pursue bipartisan solutions to ensure life and liberty for all. Let’s not have one more child or one more teacher not return home.
Please write to advocacy@nyscoss.org with any questions or suggestions.