Timberlane Teachers’ Association Supports Student Call for Action on Gun Violence
Timberlane educators support youth calls for action on gun violence and school safety
For Immediate Release:
PLAISTOW, NH— March 15, 2018 —The leadership of the Timberlane Teachers’ Association released the following statement:
The Timberlane Teachers’ Association condemns gun violence and any calls to arm teachers, while urging lawmakers to protect children and educators from gun violence. The Timberlane Teachers’ Association supports the walkouts for remembrance of the 17 victims of gun violence at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School and the youth-organized Days of Action on March 24th and April 20th. The Timberlane Teachers Association recognizes the Constitutional right of students, affirmed by the Supreme Court, to non-violently voice their frustration with policy makers’ failure to address the issues.
In a statement released on February 21, 2018, AFT President, Randi Weingarten, said, “I am in awe of the students who are leading right now—and their educators. These are kids who sheltered in closets, who lost their friends, who wrote texts to their families thinking they had one last opportunity to say they loved them, who took a bullet for each other, or who witnessed a killing field. The students, supported by their teachers, are speaking out the loudest, organizing on social media and in their schools, and they are determined to turn this moment into a movement.”
Timberlane Teachers’ Association President, Ryan Richman, echoed these sentiments. “In an age when policymakers would seem to prefer to sling insults at each other and utilizing social media to undermine their opponents, it is inspiring to see the next generation of change-makers taking matters into their own hands. Youth are holding elected officials, from school boards to senators, accountable for their action and inaction on school safety and gun violence. We applaud and support them.”
#########
For more information, press only:
Ryan Richman, President Timberlane Teachers’ Association, 603-560-6998, timberlaneteachersassociation@gmail.com