The National Education Association (NEA), in partnership with the Everytown for Gun Safety Support Fund, has released the “NEA School Gun Violence Prevention and Response Guide.” This comprehensive guide provides resources, tools, and practical recommendations to equip educators and others in the school community to prevent, prepare for, respond to, and recover from gun violence in Pre-K–12 schools and institutions of higher education.

The NEA is the country’s largest professional employee organization, with over 3 million members in the education space. According to the group, this guide confronts the urgent issue of gun violence in schools, focusing on how to safeguard students, educators, and the entire school environment. It strives to thwart recurring shootings by emphasizing collaborative efforts among educators, schools, administrators, and communities to effectively address gun-related tragedies.

“Every student in America—Black or White, Asian or Latino, native or newcomer—deserves a welcoming and safe learning environment, free from the fear of gun violence in their school or community,” said NEA President Becky Pringle. “Our schools should be the safest place in any community. While we wish this type of guidance wasn’t even necessary, the reality is that we need to step up to not only prevent future instances of gun violence but also equip schools and communities with the knowledge of how to respond when another tragedy occurs.”

The United States suffers from an epidemic of gun violence, where guns are now the leading cause of death for children, teens, and college-aged people in the country. Every day, more than 120 people are killed by guns and more than 200 are shot and wounded. From January to May 2024, there have been at least 107 incidents of gunfire on school grounds, resulting in 29 deaths and 61 injuries nationally, according to Everytown for Gun Safety.

“The NEA remains committed to eradicating the devastating impact of gun violence,” said Pringle. “Choosing inaction is akin to tolerating what ought to be intolerable for each and every one of us.”

The guide is available here.

The post National Education Association Offers Guide on School Gun Violence appeared first on Facilities Management Advisor.