School Safety and Gun Violence

“Students have a right to attend school and receive a quality education that is equal for all young people and free from violence.”

Listed below are tips and resources for teachers:

• Stoneman Douglas High School shooting
• Resources for Talking and Teaching About the School Shooting in Florida
• Can High School Students Make a Real Impact on the Problem of Gun Violence in the United States?
• 10 Ways to Talk to Students About Sensitive Issues in the News
• The Right to Safe Schools: A Newly Recognized Inalienable Right
• Nine Ways to Help Students Discuss Guns and Violence
• Guidelines for Discussing Incidents of Hate, Bias, and Discrimination. University of Michigan Center for Research on Learning and Teaching
• Ten Ways to Fight Hate: A Community Response Guide. Southern Poverty Law Center

Here are some discussion questions from the readings:

• How many people were killed in the school shooting in Parkland, Florida?
• How did this shooting compare with others in the US?
  How have other students — and parents — responded?
• What was your own reaction to the shooting?
• Do students have a right to ask officials what they are doing to make schools safe?
• Could you organize a meeting of students to discuss the issues?
• Could you use your cell phone or social media to invite other students to the meeting?

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The academy aims to prepare a new generation of civil rights leaders. For more information contact Barry Checkoway (barrych@umich.edu).