Whitman-Hanson Education Association

Just as I was celebrating the likely passage of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act—the most significant gun safety package in nearly 30 years—I learned that the Supreme Court had struck down a century-old New York gun safety law. In a 6-3 decision, the court ruled that individuals can bear arms, even in public places, for “self-defense.” 

For a moment, I felt like Sisyphus, the character in Greek mythology condemned for eternity to rolling a rock uphill only to have it come crashing down again. Then I rallied and vowed to fight harder than ever for what we know is right. Even if progress is painfully slow, it IS happening. 

The Bipartisan Safer Communities Act will enhance background checks for gun purchasers under age 21 and broaden access to mental-health services, especially school-based programs. It will also encourage states to implement red flag laws that temporarily keep individuals at elevated risk of harming themselves or others from gaining access to guns.

Last week, the House took up two bills—the Restoring Hope for Mental Health and Well-Being Act and the Enhancing Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Through Campus Planning Act—that begin to address the mental health crisis among students and educators struggling to be there for their students while coping with challenges of their own.

Congress also passed the bipartisan Keep Kids Fed Act, extending through the summer USDA’s authority to issue waivers that allow schools to offer all students free meals during the COVID-19 pandemic. We will continue to push for a longer extension to ensure no child goes hungry. 

In all of these efforts, your engagement has been critical. Keep it up! 

 
In solidarity, 

Marc Egan
Government Relations Director
National Education Association

The push for congressional action to help prevent gun violence continues. 

“I am frustrated, heartbroken, and angry that this is where we are, 23 years after Columbine,” NEA President Becky Pringle said in testimony before the House Oversight & Reform Committee last Thursday. The hearing included jarring, unforgettable remarks from Robb Elementary survivor Miah Cerrillo, the parents of 10-year-old victim Lexi Rubio, a Uvalde pediatrician, and the mother of a worker injured at the Buffalo shooting.

“Our country has already experienced nearly 240 mass shootings in 2022. But that number does not begin to capture the scope of this epidemic. Every day, gun violence kills 111 people. That means we can expect 22,255 more deaths by gun this year. Inaction equals acceptance of the unacceptable,” NEA’s president said. 

“A high school teacher in Arlington, Texas, survived a workplace shooting in a corporate setting, only to experience three school shootings and countless lockdowns. He is leaving with these words: ‘As much as I love teaching, if I can’t be fully present for my students, I am not going to be the educator they need.’

“Enough with so-called solutions that do not address the problem. We cannot place enough armed guards at every school building in America to protect us. We cannot ask educators to carry weapons and wear body armor while teaching and nurturing students. Because by the time someone has shown up with a military weapon, it is already too late. What we need for our students are more resources—not revolvers.” 

The solution? In the words of NEA’s president: “Pass common-sense legislation so that not one more community is shattered, and not one more anguished parent has to lay a precious child to rest. Our children deserve the chance to grow and thrive. To live … into their brilliance.” 

After the hearing, the House passed many of the common-sense measures NEA supports. Constructive negotiations on a narrower package continue in the Senate.
 
In solidarity, 

Marc Egan
Government Relations Director
National Education Association

As the school year comes to a close across the country, I like so many others remain affected by the recent spate of mass shootings ripping at the soul of our society.  
 
When Congress returns this week, the pro-public education pro-common sense gun safety House of Representatives will vote on a package of bills aimed at making it more difficult for mass shootings to continue. They are stepping up and delivering, again, for our students, educators and communities. And NEA President Becky Pringle will be testifying on this issue Wednesday morning in the House Oversight & Reform Committee. Tune in! 
 
Over in the Senate, conversations and meetings occurred over the past week among a group of Democrats and Republicans led by Senators Chris Murphy (D-CT) and John Cornyn (R-TX) in an effort to find common ground.  
 
Please continue to make your voice heard and pressure the Senate to take action and protect our children and communities from more senseless killings. 
 
 
In solidarity, 

Marc Egan
Government Relations Director
National Education Association

When will it ever be enough and when will it ever change? With Buffalo still on our minds, it happened again. It happened again in a school, like too many awful times before. 

Nineteen priceless babies from Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, taken from their families by someone who legally purchased weapons of war on his 18th birthday. Two teachers who sacrificed to build a better future for their students taken from their families. The survivors will remember and bear the psychological scars for the rest of their lives.  

The day after the Texas shooting—like parents, grandparents, and guardians all across America—my wife and I asked ourselves: Should we send our two precious babies to school? We did, but it was hard. We held them longer than usual, silently wondering what every parent is wondering: Can it happen at our school? Will my babies come home today? 

Once again, America faces a choice. Do we continue to send our children the message that their lives are not important to us as a nation? Doing nothing sends exactly that message. Fighting the same fights with the same results—zero—sends exactly that message. 

“What are you waiting for?” NEA President Becky Pringle asked in a letter to Congress. “Why do you spend all this time running for the United States Senate … if your answer is as the slaughter increases, as our kids run for their lives—we do nothing?” asked Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut, where 26 people were gunned down at Sandy Hook Elementary School in 2012. 

Keep an eye on Murphy and some of his Senate colleagues in the days ahead as they attempt to do something—anything—to make these uniquely American tragedies less likely.  

We expect answers soon. Join us in demanding action. Is that too much to ask? 
 
In solidarity, 

Marc Egan
Government Relations Director
National Education Association

It’s been a week since domestic terrorism took the lives of 10 Black people and injured three others shopping for groceries in Buffalo, New York—a hate-filled crime all too familiar to Americans. Three of the victims were NYSUT/NEA members. 

The gunman revealed his motivation in a 180-page manifesto published on the internet: the racist “great replacement theory” promulgated by some hard-right politicians and talking heads. This hateful ideology has led to attacks elsewhere, including Charlottesville amid chants of “Jews will not replace us.” Well-armed white men have murdered Black people in their churches, Latino immigrants out shopping, and Jewish congregants in synagogues. 

Meanwhile, state legislatures continue their efforts to prevent honest education and deny our children the freedom to learn and be themselves.

Last week, NEA member Willie Carver, 2022 Kentucky Teacher of the Year, testified before a House subcommittee about the disastrous impact of restricting discussion of LGBTQ+ issues and punishing teachers who discuss them.  

“Political attacks are exacerbating teacher shortages, harming our democracy and, above all, hurting our children,” he said. “We need you to pass the Equality Act, to make discrimination against LGBTQ people illegal. We need you to pass the Safe Schools Improvement Act, to protect all students from harassment.”

We also need Congress to pass common-sense measures, supported by most Americans, to help prevent future gun violence.  

In solidarity, 

Marc Egan
Government Relations Director
National Education Association

This week, for the first time in more than two years, members of NEA’s Board of Directors will go to Capitol Hill and meet face-to-face with senators, representatives, and their staffs. They will be pushing for action on two issues of great importance to our members: the educator shortage and the need to protect LGBTQ+ students from bullying and harassment.

Meanwhile, we are preparing for the release of Supreme Court rulings on controversial cases with far-reaching implications not just for students and educators, but all Americans. A leaked ruling that made headlines last week would overturn Roe v. Wade—described as “settled law” by several justices, under oath, during their confirmation hearings.

NEA advocates for the rights of our members—78 percent of whom are women—and that includes their reproductive freedom.

NEA President Becky Pringle tweeted, “Today many of us are scared, worried, angry. I see you. I hear you. And I am with you. NEA has a long, clear history of advocating for our members—for their rights and freedoms—and we won’t stop now. Their reproductive health decisions should be theirs to make.”

Chief Justice John Roberts confirmed that the leaked ruling is authentic, but cautioned that the final version could differ. It is expected to be released in late June or early July, when the court concludes its current term.

In solidarity, 

Marc Egan
Government Relations Director
National Education Association

Congress returned from recess this week and began work on the FY2023 appropriations process. President Biden’s budget proposal, released about a month ago, is a good start. But like most presidential budgets, it is as much a statement of values as a call to action. 

The hard part lies ahead. Spending levels are supposed to be set by Oct. 1, when the fiscal year begins. That hasn’t happened in recent years, however. Spending levels were frozen at the previous year’s levels until mid-March, when this year’s budget was finally approved. 

Teacher Appreciation Week starts tomorrow. Now more than ever, it is fitting that we celebrate educators and their unwavering fortitude, creativity, and love for students. Text CELEBRATE to 48744 to get texts all week long—reminders of how special both you and your profession are.
Next week, NEA’s Board of Directors is gathering in Washington, DC for its first in-person meeting in more than two years. Join them in urging your elected representatives to support the Safe Schools Improvement Act. 

In solidarity, 

Marc Egan
Government Relations Director
National Education Association

I was thrilled to hear that the Biden-Harris administration is taking further action to fix the broken Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program.

This week, Education Secretary Miguel Cardona announced a series of administrative changes that will result in immediate debt cancellation for at least 40,000 borrowers under PSLF. Thousands more will receive forgiveness through income-driven repayment (IDR).

Under Cardona, the U.S. Department of Education has already approved $6.8 billion for more than 113,000 public servants through improvements to PSLF. Under his predecessor, Betsy DeVos, the department denied 98 percent of PSLF applications and forgave just 16,000 borrowers.

The numbers tell the story: In stark contrast to the previous administration, the Biden-Harris administration sees, hears, and values educators.

In solidarity, 

Marc Egan
Government Relations Director
National Education Association

We had two big wins in the run up to a two-week congressional recess: The Senate confirmed Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson’s historic nomination to the Supreme Court and President Biden extended the pause on student loan payments through the end of August. 

Your voices and advocacy played an important role in these victories. I thank you for all that you have done—and urge you to keep it up.

In addition, several of our amazing “aspiring educators” met virtually with their senators and representatives. Among other things, they discussed solutions to the educator shortage like the Teacher, Principal, and Leader Residency Access Act. 

NEA member Samantha Hull, a school librarian in central Pennsylvania, testified before a House subcommittee on the wrongheadedness of book bans and censorship. As you and I know, this is an intentional distraction—an effort by some politicians to avoid addressing the issues that parents, students, and educators actually care about. 

“I recently asked my five-year-old son why books are important,” Samantha Hull testified. “Here is what he told me: ‘The books are important because they help me learn because I can see new words, I can meet new people and I can go to places I haven’t been. They teach us to solve problems.’”  

Like the little boy who proclaimed that the emperor wore no clothes, he spoke the truth. These politicians are not protecting children, as they claim. They are trying to whitewash our nation’s history—to erase the names, faces, and stories comprising the fabric of America. But we won’t let them!

In solidarity, 

Marc Egan
Government Relations Director
National Education Association