WHEREAS:

School violence has become an epidemic in the United States of America; and

WHEREAS:

The children and school employees of our nation deserve to attend school without fear of death or injury, and their families deserve to send them to school without the same fear; and

WHEREAS:

All citizens have a responsibility to address this problem and the responsibility for preventing violent incidents cannot be relegated to school districts alone; and

WHEREAS:

Multiple studies have shown that the majority of Americans support action to eliminate violence in our schools; and

WHEREAS:

School board members, administrators, employees and their unions and community members should work together with lawmakers, legal counsel, law enforcement and security experts to determine how best to ensure student safety in their district; and

WHEREAS:

Stopping a shooter is not as simple as adding locks, bulletproof glass, or arming faculty and staff. Schools need better funding to ensure school safety such as more School Resource Officers, mental health professionals and readiness training for all staff; and

WHEREAS:

Nearly every school conducts active-shooter drills in which children as young as four years old hide from imaginary intruders. Every day, schools are forced into lockdowns even if a threat is a false alarm. Lockdowns in our schools are now the norm; and

WHEREAS:

On February 14, 2018, seventeen lives were taken at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. Fourteen others were injured; and

WHEREAS:

In the first 44 days of 2018, prior to the Parkland shooting, there were eighteen school shootings in the U.S., eight of which resulted in an injury or death. In comparison, there have only been 18 school shootings in the last 20 years in every other country combined; and

WHEREAS:

Since the Columbine High School massacre in 1999, there have been 239 school shootings affecting 187,000 students. In total, these mass shootings have resulted in 438 injuries and 138 fatalities. These figures fail to capture the devastating emotional and psychological toll gun violence is having on students, teachers and the staff who support their education; and

WHEREAS:

Even the horrific massacre of very young children at Sandy Hook Elementary School has failed to result in policies that will make our children and our schools safer; and

WHEREAS:

No parent should send his or her child to school and fear they may never come home; and

WHEREAS:

Students, teachers and staff in a school should not fear for their lives or be victimized by gun violence while attending class or going to work; and

WHEREAS:

Turning our schools into fortresses and arming teachers and school staff will not cure the epidemic of gun violence in our schools; and

WHEREAS:

The surviving students at Parkland are not only victims; they are activists. They are inspiring a student-led American movement: NEVER AGAIN.

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED:

That AFSCME will follow the courageous lead of the Parkland students and support their demand for common sense measures to ensure that our schools are places of learning, not places of violence; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED:

That AFSCME implores the President of the United States, the Governors and elected leaders of all 50 states, the District of Columbia and U.S. territories and the United States Congress, to prioritize the protection of students and school employees by enacting legislation with funding for the following:

1. Enhanced mental health services and substance abuse treatment so that all individuals, including children, have sufficient access to these services.
2. Increased access to school safety measures, including, but not limited to, School Resource Officers (SROs), school safety infrastructure and other security measures designed to protect students and staff from an active shooter on school grounds.
3. Training for school employees and enhanced coordination with law enforcement agencies and first responders to ensure appropriate responses to incidents of violence in schools.
4. Preserving the balance between the right to own firearms and the protection of students and school employees from any act of violence.
5. Common-sense gun control, in accordance with AFSCME policy.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED:

That AFSCME supports working closely with professional law enforcement agencies in developing security action plans, investing in capital improvements to control access to facilities and to increase communication capabilities, readiness training for all staff and students, and increasing the presence of School Resource Officers (SROs). These SROs should be integrated within the student community, thereby increasing the likelihood they know students and are not seen solely as a force for discipline; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED:

That AFSCME will advocate for increased mental health funding at the federal, state and local levels. Programs to increase both inpatient and outpatient services must be funded, as well as broader investment in the mental health workforce, and efforts to end the stigma of mental illness to promote earlier detection and treatment; and

BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED:

That in honor of the survivors of school shootings and in the memory of those who have lost their lives, AFSCME, its councils and local affiliates, will sponsor, support and advance legislation that will make our schools safer for all who walk through the doors.

SUBMITTED BY:

JoAnn Johntony, President and Delegate
Lois Carson, Vice President and Delegate
Sandra Wheeler, Secretary and Delegate
AFSCME/OAPSE Local 4
Ohio