Actions and Statements Demonstrate Inability to Fulfill Duties to Protect Children in School
Yesterday, Mark Barden and Nicole Hockley, the co-founders of Sandy Hook Promise who each had a son murdered in the Sandy Hook Elementary School tragedy, issued a heartfelt appeal to House Republican Party Leader Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) to remove Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) from the House Education and Labor Committee, and any other positions related to protecting children. By not holding her accountable for fueling vicious lies and refusing to acknowledge the truth of school shootings, Rep. McCarthy risks setting a dangerous precedent that politics are more important than keeping children safe at school.
“As parents who lost our precious children, Daniel and Dylan, when they were murdered at Sandy Hook Elementary, along with 18 of their first-grade classmates and six educators, on December 14, 2012, we are writing to urge you to take immediate action to remove Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene from her assignment to the House Education and Labor Committee and prohibit her from serving in any position that is charged with preventing school violence.
We have dedicated our lives since the murder of our sons to stopping school shootings and preventing more families from feeling the devastating loss that we must endure every day. It is the responsibility of every member of the United States Congress to protect our children from violence. Representative Greene has fueled conspiracy theories and supporters that claim that the Sandy Hook shooting and other violent murders of children never happened. These vicious lies deny the deaths of our murdered children and bring death threats and constant harassment to our doors and our surviving children.
The House Education and Labor Committee is charged with ensuring the health, education, and safety of our nation’s students at school. Representative Greene has demonstrated through her actions and words that she cannot fulfill the duties of this position. A dangerous precedent will be set if she is not held accountable in this moment, one that holds the privilege of elected officials over the very lives of our nation’s children.”
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** Mark Barden and Nicole Hockley, co-founders and managing directors of Sandy Hook Promise, are available for further commentary or interviews. See contact information below. **
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About Sandy Hook Promise: Sandy Hook Promise (SHP) is a national nonprofit organization with a mission to end school shootings and create a culture change that prevents violence and other harmful acts that hurt children. Through its life-saving, evidence-informed Know the Signs prevention programs, SHP educates and empowers youth and adults to recognize, intervene, and get help for individuals who may be socially isolated and/or at risk of hurting themselves or others. Through nonpartisan policy and partnerships, SHP advances gun safety, youth mental health, and violence prevention education at the state and federal levels that protect all children from gun violence in their schools, homes, and communities. SHP is led by several family members whose loved ones were killed in the tragic mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School on December 14, 2012.
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