In the wake of yet another tragic school shooting in Nashville, Tennessee, it is clear, as it already should have been that our children and the people who take care of them deserve and are in need of extra and IMMEDIATE measures taken to ensure their safety!!!

Gun control and mental illness are controversial topics that have to be tackled on a national level, not just at schools, but that won’t happen overnight. I IMPLORE every state governor to go above and beyond to address this urgent matter ASAP!!! We can’t afford to wait for another mass shooting which will happen again if something isn’t done. There must be school safety bills passed in every state that allow all school districts the opportunity for funding to appoint armed school safety personnel that may include retired police officers and military veterans. These people have been trained to handle situations involving firearms that teachers haven’t been nor may ever want to be. In addition, funding must be appropriated for school infrastructure to be changed if necessary. Each doorway, including the main entrance of EVERY school must not be made of glass and must be locked with an intercom and camera system in place to monitor who is at the door and why they’re there. Metal detectors need to be placed in all schools as well, since the children themselves sometimes enter with weapons. If these things are put in place, the chances of a person entering armed with intent to harm greatly diminishes. Unarmed safety agents are no match at all to a mentally disturbed individual who already gained access to the building with a weapon.  

As both a parent and a teacher, I cannot stress enough that we must act NOW to ensure the safety of our most precious children and those who serve them. If banks, airports, and other government buildings are secured with armed personnel, then why can’t our schools be?! Picture your child or loved one as a target, then sign this petition to demand change! This affects us ALL and has sadly become a national crisis with 13 school shootings since the year began. Money shouldn’t be an issue when the cost is our children’s lives!!!