School board: We'll do our part but legislators must do theirs on guns
While the North Penn community invests millions of taxpayer dollars each year to protect our students, including evidence-based initiatives like behavioral threat assessment and student mental health and well-being programs, our schools remain at risk because of unchecked gun violence in American society. The silence and obstruction of politicians who serve the gun lobby are actively allowing gun violence to be a potential risk to our children in the one place they once knew as safe: their classrooms.
This board is charged with ensuring that our facilities, staff, and especially students, are safe. We will not relent in letting students know that they are loved, and we will strive to always keep them safe in school. We know that our students may feel anxious right now. We find it unacceptable to freely allow shooters to purchase body armor and assault weapons of war to accomplish their terror. So long as the politicians that obstruct commonsense gun safety remain in Harrisburg and Washington D.C., families will question if their children are truly safe in school, a place that should be vibrant, not a hardened fortress with a false sense of security.
There is clear evidence of what works to help reduce gun violence — while still preserving people’s Second Amendment rights. The children of Robb Elementary School had their right to life extinguished, just like the community members shopping in Buffalo. This school board is committed to investing in and supporting the most comprehensive and innovative strategies for safe schools and communities. We emphatically reject the idea that nothing can be done legislatively, we challenge our state and federal leaders to shelve the excuses and pass meaningful gun reforms.
Further, we challenge the North Penn community to work to vote out legislators whose inability to accomplish progress increases the risks that an active shooter may someday visit our school community. Other states have passed commonsense laws that reduce gun-based harm. Pennsylvania can and should follow suit.
Our state and federal legislatures must acknowledge the public health and public policy facts. These bipartisan bills already exist but languish in partisan committees uninterested in putting those bills to a full vote in order to protect our schools and communities from being next. We are sickened by the gun violence epidemic and promise to never give up fighting for our students and community.
For more information on North Penn School District Safe Schools efforts visit the NPSD Emergency Management and Safe Schools webpage.
The members of the North Penn School District Board of School Directors are Tina Stoll, president, Christian D. Fusco, vice president, Dr. Elisha K. Gee, Jonathan M. Kassa, Dr. Wanda Lewis-Campbell, Timothy MacBain, Juliane Ramić, Al Roesch and Cathy Wesley.
This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: School board: We'll do our part but legislators must do theirs on guns
