Violence Has No Place in Our Schools

Phoenix, AZ -- No one – no student, teacher, staff member, or even politician or pundit – should ever be shot at school.

The last few weeks have been filled with tragedy: deadly gunfire at homes and schools in Minnesota and Colorado, bullet holes into government agencies like the CDC, and now a shooting that killed Charlie Kirk during an appearance at Utah Valley University.

We cannot ignore that Kirk has built a career spreading anti-LGBTQ rhetoric and founded the Arizona-based TPUSA, an organization that fuels division and hostility. But violence is never the answer – not against children, not against educators, and not against political figures, no matter how harmful their words or platforms.

Schools must be places of safety and learning, not battlegrounds for ideology or gunfire.

No one should be shot at school.

Not lawmakers or agency workers.

Not students in private or public schools.

Not staff, not teachers.

Not Charlie Kirk – despite his anti-LGBTQ hate and TPUSA’s toxic politics.

Violence isn’t the answer. 

Safety and education are.

Knowledge is Power. 

Survival is Resistance.

Contact: Aten Morin Jr.

Email: media@justschools.org

Phone: 623-221-2081

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Just Schools envisions a future where all queer and trans students thrive in school. Every student has the right to be affirmed and supported at school—but for many queer* and trans students, this promise is broken. When these students are free to learn without discrimination, the entire school community thrives. Just Schools educates, advocates, and organizes for inclusive schools where all queer and trans students are valued and inspired to reach their full potential.

* We use the word queer to reflect a broad spectrum of LGBTQIA2S+ identities, including students who are intersex, asexual, nonbinary, questioning, or still exploring how they identify. This is the language many young people in our community use to describe themselves today—and we honor that by using the terms that reflect how they see and celebrate their own identities. We recognize that for some, queer carries painful history. We choose it with care, knowing that it has been reclaimed by a new generation as a word of pride, power, and possibility—and that it reflects the future we’re working to build.