AFT President and Survivor Call for Action After Minneapolis Shooting

Tragic School Shooting in Minneapolis Sparks Outcry from Educators

WASHINGTON— Following the tragic events at Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis, where a mass shooting resulted in the deaths of two children and injuries to more than a dozen individuals, prominent educators have spoken out. AFT President Randi Weingarten, along with Abbey Clements, executive director of Teachers Unify to End Gun Violence and a survivor of the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, expressed their grief and urgency for change in a joint statement.

"Our hearts are broken for the Annunciation community and for the families who sent their children to school Wednesday morning expecting them to be safe and to come home. Every parent’s nightmare is to have their child’s future stolen by a bullet," stated Weingarten and Clements.

The incident adds to the growing concern over gun violence in schools, which has become a leading cause of death among children and teens. The statement highlighted the refusal of national leaders to unite and address this pressing issue, questioning the societal norms that allow repeated occurrences of such violence in educational settings.

"How tragic that this country’s leaders refuse to come together and make decisions to protect children and teens from their leading cause of death: firearms. What kind of a country allows kids to be shot up in their schools, over and over again?" they emphasized.

The need for proactive measures was stressed, urging empathy to be transformed into tangible actions. Weingarten and Clements called for the removal of firearms from those who pose threats in various community spaces, including schools and homes, emphasizing the moral obligation to protect the youth.

"We have a moral responsibility to protect our children. We must get guns out of the hands of those who would do harm in our schools, our places of worship, our workplaces, our streets, our homes," they stated. They further underscored that educational environments should serve as safe spaces for growth and learning, not venues for trauma and violence.

The AFT, representing a diverse group of educational and professional personnel across the nation, continues to advocate for safer learning environments and comprehensive solutions to prevent such tragedies in the future.