For the second time after a mass shooting, the Atlanta school board has called for action to protect students from gun violence.
The board on Monday released a statement, an uncommon step for the eight elected members, that also references the president’s “role in promoting or inciting racial tensions” though it does not mention Donald Trump by name.
The school board released the four-paragraph statement late Monday, following back-to-back mass shootings over the weekend in El Paso, Texas and Dayton, Ohio.
“...(W)e cannot ignore the apparent racist, anti-immigrant motive behind the El Paso shooting. We unequivocally condemn racism and hatred of any kind, and implore our federal government-- and this administration in particular -- to consider its role in promoting or inciting racial tensions that, as tragically displayed this weekend, have the propensity to lead to violence,” the statement said.
The board also called for “effective and comprehensive action from the federal government to protect schoolchildren from gun violence” and asked Congress to provide money to increase the number of school counselors and mental health staff working in schools.
The board previously approved a resolution calling for some of the same actions in April of 2018, after the Parkland, Fla. high school shooting.
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