Bend La-Pine School Board Members started and finished their board meeting Tuesday night by talking about the elementary school shooting in Uvalde, Texas. Nineteen children and two adults were killed in the rampage Tuesday.
“We are deeply saddened to hear of the school shooting that took place today in a small town in Texas,” said Bend-La Pine Schools Superintendent Steven Cook. “Nothing shakes us to our core like violence against our children, the most innocent and vulnerable among us, particularly where they are supposed to be safe without question, their school.”
After adopting a different language arts curriculum Tuesday night, Cook said they wanted to provide some comments about the school shooting.
“We would ask that you help and hold one another and we share our concern, our compassion for each and everyone in our community as we vicariously try and support those that are feeling tremendous loss,” Cook said.
READ: Letter from Bend-La Pine School District to families
The superintendent thanked staff, students and families of the community for stepping in and supporting one another as the county deals with another shooting.
“I would just ask for a moment of silence for the Uvalde community and the families of those who lost their lives or had to live through this tragedy today,” said Cook.
The meeting went on for a few hours before ending with comments from the school board.
“As an individual, my family owns guns,” Bend-La Pine School Board member Amy Tatom said. “I am not saying we need to ban guns, but we do need to regulate them and if we have politicians out there who we are voting for, who are refusing to keep our kids safe and to keep all of us safe and people we love save, we need to hold them accountable.”
Tatom says she is ‘tired of us being silent.’
“I am frankly too disgusted to say anything else, but you can bet I will not be voting for politicians who refuse to acknowledge the problem of gun violence in this country and would encourage everyone who cares for children to do the same,” Tatom said.
Board member Janet Sarai Llerandi Gonalez also commented on the Texas shooting, reading from American Poet and Activist Amanda Gorman.
