Del Valle ISD board calls for gun violence prevention legislation

The Del Valle ISD school board is calling on elected officials to pass legislation to prevent gun violence in light of the mass shooting in Uvalde, Texas.

At a special board meeting June 7, the board approved a resolution to be sent to all elected officials representing the Del Valle ISD community.

"As a School Board, we have a duty to protect the children of our community," said board president Rebecca A. Birch, "Gun violence has become the number one cause of death for children and we cannot stand by and watch. We must use our voices as school district leaders to call for change."

The board also approved an advocacy resolution calling on the Texas Association of School Boards to include gun violence prevention as one of its priorities for the next legislative session.

READ THE FULL ADOPTION RESOLUTION BELOW:

The Del Valle ISD Board of Trustees calls on our elected officials to pass and enact gun violence prevention legislation to protect our schools and communities.

We demand our elected officials to set aside partisan bickering and do what is necessary to end the senseless slaughter of children and young adults that plagues our communities with the unfettered access to deadly weapons including semi-automatic rifles.

We implore you to not only consider legislation aimed at placing the burden of gun violence on our teachers, administrators and students, as you have done in past legislative sessions, rather to enact legislation that will prevent the next massacre. Having one entrance to a building and arming teachers and administrators are not viable answers. Legislation that places the burden on the victims will not prevent the next Uvalde, El Paso, Sutherland Springs, Buffalo, or Tulsa.

Research shows comprehensive background checks are foundational to keeping guns from dangerous people. We know from Florida that Red Flag laws and age restrictions have prevented tragedy. But we demand that it not stop there, we must have mandatory waiting periods, mandatory training and restricting the types of weapons that can be purchased by individual citizens. We must take any and all steps necessary to save our children and communities.

We ask that you love our children more than you love your special interests. We know what needs to be done, but the question is will you have the courage to do it.

Del ValleEducationCrime and Public Safety