Arne Duncan tweets support for school boycott until gun laws change
What if no children went to school until gun laws changed to keep them safe?
Arne Duncan, former CEO of Chicago Public Schools and past education secretary in the Obama administration, tweeted that question on Friday after eight students and two teachers were killed in a school shooting at Santa Fe High School in Texas.
Duncan tweeted his support for a school boycott in response to a tweet by Peter Cunningham, a former assistant secretary of education and the executive director of the Education Post. Cunningham said: "Maybe it's time for America's 50 million school parents to simply pull their kids out of school until we have better gun laws."
In response, Duncan said: "This is brilliant, and tragically necessary. What if no children went to school until gun laws changed to keep them safe? My family is all in if we can do this at scale. Parents, will you please join us?"
Many victims' families at an event at St. Sabina Catholic Church on the South Side said they agree with the boycott.
The families said the recent school shootings bring the emotions flooding back.
"The pain is still here. It's never gonna go away," said Janice Cannon, whose 20-year-old son was shot to death.
For some, the pain brings resolve to make change.
Delphine Cherry's daughter Tyesa was 16 when she was killed 26 years ago. Her son Tyler was 20 when he was shot to death. Now, she campaigns for gun control.
"They always talk about after the fact we should have did more, we're sorry for the victims and praying for them. We're tired of hearing that," Cherry said.
Community activist Fr. Michael Pfleger, of St. Sabina, has also proposed that gun violence protestors shut down the Dan Ryan expressway.
"We've got to do something radical and dramatic and puts it in their face," Pfleger said.
