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Today's history lesson

Feb. 14, 2018: Deadliest school shooting in U.S.

New York Teacher
UFT members hold up their signs at the March for our Lives in Manhattan
UFT members were out in force on March 24, 2018, to demonstrate for gun safety at the March for Our Lives in Manhattan in response to the deadly shooting on Feb. 14 at Marjory Stoneman Douglas HS in Parkland, Florida.

The shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas HS in Parkland, Florida, took the lives of 14 students and three staff members.

President Donald Trump suggested arming about 20% of teachers to prevent more school shootings. Educators countered on social media with the #ArmMeWith hashtag to say what they really needed for their students was books, laptops, jackets and food, not guns. Five weeks after the shooting, students from Stoneman Douglas organized the March for Our Lives in Washington, D.C. Students nationwide walked out of classes in solidarity and called for tighter gun ownership standards and an assault weapons ban.

“We have a real problem in this country when children must advocate for their safety because some elected officials in Washington won’t,” UFT President Michael Mulgrew said on Feb. 21, 2018.

Mulgrew also called for more programs that de-escalate tension in schools, such as the Positive Learning Collaborative, and more investment in school mental health services.