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To the Editor:

School shootings are at their highest on record and continue to climb. It’s natural to feel hopeless, but we can replace despair with action. We must hold our elected officials accountable to make gun violence prevention a top priority.

Keeping students safe from gun violence means creating policy that supports student mental health, improves school climate, and reduces the misuse of firearms.

Students’ lived experience is critical for long-lasting impact. Demand that policymakers center the young people they represent in their conversations on youth safety, mental health, and gun violence prevention.

Sandy Hook Promise keeps students at the forefront of the violence prevention conversation with free programs available to all schools like “Start with Hello,” “Say Something,” and “Know the Signs.” SHP also lobbies for common sense gun safety legislation. I encourage you to visit them at www.sandyhookpromise.org to see how they help produce bipartisan policy solutions that protect our children. Call on your elected officials now and demand action that will make our schools and communities safer.

Ellen Nichols
West Hartford
SHP Volunteer Leader