A Statement About School Shooting in Uvalde, Texas

Senseless acts of violence continue to devastate communities across the country. This time a gunman opened fire in an elementary school in an attack that left 19 children and two teachers dead in the predominantly Latinx town of Uvalde, Texas. Not two weeks ago 10 people were killed in Buffalo as part of a horrific hate crime targeted at African Americans shopping in a grocery store. In trying to navigate these deeply troubling times I wanted to share Chancellor Gary May's statement about the heinous crime that took place yesterday in Texas.

"My daughter Jordan is a preschool teacher. We spent much of yesterday talking about how she would protect herself and her students in an active shooter situation.

I am so tired.

I grieve for the children whose lives were stolen, and the parents and families whose lives will never be the same because of the gun violence in Uvalde. I can’t stop thinking of these fourth-grade children, their whole lives in front of them, and their loved ones, excited by the end of the school year, and one person with a gun who took that all away.

I am horrified and angry that our society seems to accept this. We need policy action to reduce gun violence. If this atrocious event doesn’t move us to make real and lasting change, I fear for our future."