2022 Hill Day Experience (June 15th)
On June 15, almost 300 PTA members went to Capitol Hill to meet with federal lawmakers and call for public policies and funding critical to our mission, including urging Congress to work across the aisle on common sense gun legislation. In particular, we fought for legislation that:
- Invests in evidence-based community violence intervention strategies
- Requires a waiting period and a comprehensive background check for all individuals prior to purchasing a firearm
- Funds research on gun violence prevention and encourages reporting on school crime and safety
- Prevents discrimination and harmful disciplinary practices in schools
- Encourages gun safety education and the safe storage of firearms
National PTA also sent our 2022 Hill Asks which included violence prevention to over 10,000 congressional staff emails calling their attention to PTA's presence on the Hill and our priorities around these issues.
June Action Alert: Urge Congress to Protect Our Children from Gun Violence
Following the Uvalde school shooting, National PTA promoted a gun violence action alert through Voter Voice that allowed our members to quickly and easily message their members of Congress on gun violence. As of June 15th, 13,408 messages had been sent to Congress through this alert. A total of 4,255 PTA advocates have engaged with the alert so far, including 3,348 new advocates who are interacting with our advocacy system for the first time.
PTA Letters to Congress
On June 2, National PTA sent a letter to Congress on the behalf of National PTA President Anna King urging swift bipartisan action addressing the gun violence epidemic and support for policies that ensure our children are protected from harm. That letter reached about 10,000 congressional staff emails. Building on that momentum, National PTA invited state PTAs to join the letter. In total, 42 state PTAs joined the letter to Congress and it was sent to congressional leaders on June 14.
K-12 Education Groups Statement on Gun Violence
On June 8, National PTA joined 17 organizations representing the full breadth of the national K-12 education community, including school superintendents, administrators, educators, school mental health providers, school staff and parents, on a statement calling on Congress to swiftly pass legislation that will address the senseless epidemic of gun violence in this country.
Partnership Event on the National Mall
President-Elect Yvonne Johnson provided moving remarks at a violence prevention event on June 10th hosted at the National Mall in partnership with Brady: United Against Gun Violence, the American Federation of Teachers, March For Our Lives, and This Is Our Lane. In her remarks, Yvonne called attention to PTA’s mission and asked the audience how every child can they reach their full potential if we cannot even protect them from these senseless acts of violence? The event was live streamed through the Brady: United Against Gun Violence Facebook page.
Press Event and Roundtable Discussion in Houston, Texas
President Anna King participated in a roundtable discussion and press event on school safety and gun violence prevention in Houston, TX on May 27. Additional participants included NEA President Becky Pringle, AFT President Randi Weingarten, March for Our Lives Co-Founder David Hogg, Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Teacher Sarah Lerner, Sandy Hook 2nd Grade Teacher Abbey Clements, and other community, education, and civil rights groups as well as parents and educators from the Texas Latino community. The event was streamed live from National PTA, NEA and AFT’s Facebook pages.
Additional Speaking Engagements
Following the school shooting in Uvalde, President Anna King and President-Elect Yvonne Johnson conducted an interview with an NBC affiliate station in Boston and spoke about school safety, gun violence prevention and how parents can talk to their children about such events. President Anna King also participated in Washington Post Live event on May 25 on youth mental health during which school safety and gun violence prevention were also discussed.
National Wear Orange Campaign
National PTA staff members, Federal Legislative Chairs, and Legislation Committee took part in the National Wear Orange Campaign by wearing orange for gun violence prevention and awareness during the first week of June.