Today is a day of mourning, as yet another school shooting occurred yesterday, claiming the lives of 17 innocent students and faculty members at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. We have reached out to the leadership at Florida State PTA, offering any support they may need.
We had originally planned to hold a Phone-a-Thon Membership Drive today, asking members to talk about the importance of PTA and join. In respect of those lost in this tragedy, we will be postponing our membership event today.
However, the PTA message and mission have never been more important than now. There have been 18 school shootings in our country since January 1.
- We continue to call for increased mental health services for students and support Governor Cuomo’s allocation for $250,000 for school-based mental health programs;
- We support the $10 million request from the State Education Department for increased mental health services, and programs for improving school culture, climate, and safety, including prevention of and responses to bullying and ensuring and enhancing Dignity for All Students compliance;
- You can read our memorandum on these issues HERE, and TAKE ACTION HERE by sending an email to our policymakers asking for more mental health services for children;
- National PTA has issued this position statement on Gun Safety and Violence Prevention, please read;
- New York State has a website – https://safeschools.ny.gov – which details many of our state’s school safety initiatives;
- You can also have a conversation with your school leaders on the requirement for a School Safety Plan, and discuss other school safety measures your school building is employing.
So while our membership drive has been postponed, our mission has never been clearer – to support EVERY child, with ONE voice, to ensure EVERY child is SAFE in school and home.
We thank you for your dedication to children – now, tomorrow, and always. There is no more important work.
