Teachers for Social Justice Statement on Obama’s Gun Control Plans
In the wake of the Newtown tragedy, the Obama administration proposed a series of gun control recommendations and policies. His four-point plan includes "making schools safer" and "increasing access to mental health services." The plan states "We need to make our schools safer, not only by enhancing their physical security... but also by creating safer and more nurturing school climates that help prevent school violence. Putting school resource officers (specially trained police officers) and mental health professionals in schools can help prevent school crime and student-on-student violence."
Teachers for Social Justice (TSJ) is an organization of educators who are committed to education for social justice. We fight for classrooms and schools that are anti-racist, multicultural, multilingual, academically rigorous curriculum that is both caring and critical, and grounded in the experience of our students. We believe that schools should indeed be a safe space for students, families, teachers, and all community members.
While TSJ supports the call to "make schools safer,” we must question what makes our schools "safe." We do not