Trump’s Commission on School Safety shuts out students, educators

Tens of thousands of students and educators from Texas – joined by additional thousands across the country – marched and rallied last weekend for the government to take reasonable steps to protect them from gun violence while they are at school. So, how does the Trump administration respond? With a deaf ear.

Trump’s Federal Commission on School Safety, chaired by Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, held its first meeting behind closed doors at the White House today and did not invite students, parents or educators. Maybe President Trump, who already has said he wants to arm teachers to protect students against gun violence, just doesn’t want to hear more sensible ideas offered by students and educators.

That’s what National Education Association President Lily Eskelsen Garcia suspects.

“The commission’s clear purpose is to push an agenda that is focused on a dangerous and misguided plan to put more guns in schools by arming teachers and other school personnel,” she said. “All of this is a distraction from the real problem: Very dangerous people have very easy access to very dangerous weapons. Our students need fewer guns in schools – not more of them – and bringing guns into our schools does absolutely nothing to protect our students and educators from gun violence.”