Leaders Urged to Act as School Shooting Claims Lives in Bend, Oregon

Tragic School Shooting in Bend, Oregon Sparks Call for Action

WASHINGTON—The recent tragic events at Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend, Oregon, where three children and a teacher lost their lives due to a shooting incident, have sparked a heartfelt response from education leaders. Another child and a classified educator were critically injured in this devastating occurrence.

AFT President Randi Weingarten, Oregon School Employees Association President Sarah Wofford, and Abbey Clements, executive director of Teachers Unify to End Gun Violence and a survivor of the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, released a statement expressing their deep sorrow and anger over the incident.

“Schools should be the safest places in our communities. But over and over, they are turned into battlegrounds because our elected leaders will do nothing to tackle our nation’s shameful gun violence epidemic,” they said. The statement emphasized the collective grief over the loss and extended prayers for the families and recovery of those injured.

The incident has intensified the call for action, with educational leaders highlighting the unacceptable frequency of school shootings. They pointed out that there have been hundreds of school shootings in the 27 years since Columbine and 28 mass killings this year alone.

Advocating for secure firearms storage as a measure to save lives, the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) has adopted a resolution encouraging school districts to educate communities on responsible gun ownership. Despite Oregon's strict gun laws, the statement stresses the need for federal accountability to prevent further tragedies.

Education leaders urge the election of officials who prioritize the safety of schools, transforming them into safe havens rather than zones of fear. As they assert, “We must elect leaders who will protect our communities and schools, making them the safe and welcoming places that children and parents deserve, not danger zones where students learn to hide before they learn to read.”

The AFT represents 1.875 million pre-K through 12th-grade teachers; paraprofessionals and other school-related personnel; higher education faculty and professional staff; federal, state and local government employees; nurses and healthcare workers; and early childhood educators.