Sacramento, CA — CFT – A Union of Educators and Classified Professionals president Jeff Freitas released the following statement following the tragic school shooting in Uvalde, Texas:

“Yesterday at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, 19 children and two adults senselessly lost their lives to yet another of the horrific mass shootings that plague our country. They were gunned down while they were doing what millions of educators and students do every day: teaching and learning in a school where they should have been safe.

“Our schools should be safe havens. Students like the 3rd and 4th graders at Robb Elementary should feel secure and ready to learn. Parents should be able to put their children on the bus in the morning knowing that they will safely be getting off the bus again at the end of the day. And teachers and school employees should feel confident that their place of work is not a place where their lives are in danger.

“The prevalence of gun violence and the easy access to firearms in our country are unacceptable and out of control. Violent, cowardly actions like the one we witnessed yesterday in Texas are preventable if we act in accordance with the wishes of the vast majority of Americans, who favor background checks, bans on assault weapons, and other common sense regulations.

“We mourn with the families of Robb Elementary School as they grieve the devastating loss of so many cherished members of their school community. We call on lawmakers to reject deadly complacency and to act with the urgency that this crisis demands and pass sensible gun laws. We can do better, and we must do better. Meaningful change is long overdue, and our schools and communities deserve nothing less.”

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CFT — A Union of Educators and Classified Professionals represents 120,000 teachers, faculty, and school employees in public and private schools and colleges, from early childhood through higher education. It is the statewide affiliate of the AFT, AFL-CIO.