A group of teacher leaders and founding partner, National Life Group, announced the launch of a new coalition to address and prevent school shootings and other acts of violence by providing teachers and all school employees with the knowledge, tools and resources they need to proactively keep schools safe.
The National Coalition for Safe Schools (NCSS) is a first of its kind initiative led by U.S. Varkey Teacher Ambassadors (US VTA’s) and other teacher leaders from throughout the United States. The coalition’s goal is to develop real-world solutions for both the short and long term that focus on the root of the problem, which begins long before a child ever thinks about bringing a gun to school.
“We envision a future where every K-12 school is a safe environment for learning and free from all acts of violence,” said Melissa Morris, a music teacher in Staten Island, New York, and a U.S. Varkey Teacher Ambassador. ”To get there, teachers need to share their voices, needs and ideas and work together to take a lead role in developing a framework that will guide future discussions around the country.”
“This new coalition is far from alone in posing such questions and we understand that. We signed on to help push this coalition forward because of who is seeking to answer the questions: Teachers themselves,” said Mehran Assadi, Chairman, CEO and President of National Life. “They are the people who understand many of the core issues. They are the adults that we send our kids off to each and every day. We believe that working together, they can begin to get at the root causes for this epidemic with our kids and leave the politics at the school house door.”
The coalition is open to any individual, organization or business interested in advancing its mission and achieving its vision. Funding and in-kind support for NCSS and the National Summit on School Safety is provided by National Life Group and LifeChanger of the Year, with additional support from Teach To Lead and the Varkey Foundation. For more information, contact the National Coalition for Safe Schools (NCSS) at notinmyschool.com, or visit National Life at NationalLife.com.
