Senator Murray Statement on School Safety Commission: “It is insulting to students, parents, and teachers that Secretary DeVos wasted this opportunity”

Trump administration school safety commission released report that failed to address commonsense gun safety reform, recommended reversing policies aimed at addressing discriminatory discipline practices in schools

Senator Murray: Report “underscores that Secretary DeVos is more interested in pandering to the NRA than listening to the students, parents, and teachers”

ICYMI: Senator Murray Demands Answers From Education Secretary Betsy DeVos on New Gun Commission – MORE HERE

(Washington, D.C.)  – U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), top Democrat on the Senate education committee, released the following statement today on the report released by the Trump administration’s school safety commission. After the Parkland shooting, Senator Murray voiced concerns that the Commission, led by Department of Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, would be nothing more than a distraction and delay from addressing meaningful gun safety measures.

“It is insulting to students, parents, and teachers that Secretary DeVos wasted this opportunity to make some progress on a really important issue. Despite overwhelming evidence and basic common sense, Secretary DeVos is trying to make the case that it’s not weapons of war in schools that make students unsafe, but rather the true danger is schools’ attempts to fight racism and inappropriate discipline. This is mind-boggling and absurd, and it underscores that Secretary DeVos is more interested in pandering to the NRA than listening to the students, parents, and teachers she is supposed to serve. The gun industry itself could not have written a more blatant and obvious distraction from the real problem gun violence poses to students across our country.”

Though the Trump administration commission on school safety was formed following the deadly school shooting in Parkland, Florida, the report completely avoids addressing meaningful, commonsense gun safety reform, such as universal background checks for gun purchases. The report also recommends the Departments of Education and Justice roll back Obama Administration guidance aimed at ensuring students of color are not unfairly disciplined more frequently than their peers. Senator Murray has been a vocal critic of Secretary DeVos’ school safety commission from the beginning, chiding the Secretary’s decision to redirect the commission’s focus from meaningful gun safety measures in its broader discussion of school safety, and pushing the Secretary to take real action to address gun violence in our nation’s schools.