ALBANY, N.Y. March 14, 2018 — New York State United Teachers issued the following statement on today’s student walk-outs demanding safer schools and safer communities.
“As educators, our top goal is to prepare our students to succeed and thrive in the world. That includes encouraging and empowering them to be engaged citizens who strive to make their communities and our country stronger. Today, as students across our state walk out of classrooms to demand safer schools and safer communities, we are proud of them for using their voices to effect change. We are also proud of the educators, administrators and school boards who have supported their right to raise their voices in a way that is safe and responsible. This is a critical moment for our country. Regardless of where we stand on key issues, we must all agree: It is urgent that we keep our schools safe and that we engage students, educational professionals and administrators in the conversations ahead about our future.”
New York State United Teachers is a statewide union with more than 600,000 members in education, human services and health care. NYSUT is affiliated with the American Federation of Teachers, the National Education Association and the AFL-CIO.