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Chris Lilienthal (717) 255-7134
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HARRISBURG (May 24, 2022) – Rich Askey, president of the Pennsylvania State Education Association, today issued the following statement in the aftermath of the tragic school shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, TX, where a teacher and 14 students needlessly lost their lives.
“This is an unspeakable tragedy, and it’s yet another example of a horrific loss of life that could have been prevented,” Askey said. “This never should have happened, and there are things that we can do to make it less likely that these kinds of tragedies happen again.
“The families of the children and the educator who lost their lives today have our thoughts and prayers, but they — and we — need more than that,” Askey said. “We need action.
“Our students need mental health supports now more than ever, and we need to make these investments as a commonwealth and as a country. We must make the investments of time and resources that students need to deal with emotional problems before they result in violence and before people die. We can and must make this a priority, and we need to do it urgently.”
An affiliate of the National Education Association, PSEA represents about 178,000 active and retired educators and school employees, student teachers, higher education staff, and health care workers in Pennsylvania.
