By Meeta Mathur, a Bedford parent
On behalf of a group of concerned parents of JGMS and BHS students
We, a group of parents of the John Glenn Middle and Bedford High Schools, are writing to you about an issue that is of great importance and concerns the safety and security of our children.
The recent, unfortunate incident in Florida has shown us yet again how vulnerable we all are. We send our kids to school each morning so one day when they are ready to fly, they have all the skills that make them self-sufficient. Unfortunately lately, we do not know if a horrific tragedy like Florida, like Sandy Hook, like Columbine and the countless others that have occurred will snatch away our beloved kids from us far before they even learn to take their first, independent steps. We live in a society where tragedies such as the above happen often and can occur anytime.
The reasons for such tragedies are too many and too nuanced to discuss in depth here. However, gun reform and mental health are two issues which need deeper, bipartisan debates and clear and immediate action. The administration at the federal level is in complete denial of these issues. In addition, they are in the process of passing a conceal carry law nationally which would have a huge impact on our state as well. As Bedford’s Director of Youth and Family Service, Sue Baldauf, explains in this article it would mean people from other states could legally carry weapons across state lines into Massachusetts. So, although Massachusetts is one of the states with the sanest gun laws, as Sue puts it “it is frightening to think of what possibilities might ensue in a return to the ‘wild west’ should the concealed carry law pass.”
It is time for us to make a change. We need to unite and make our democracy work for us, make our representatives at both the federal and state levels hear of our deepest concerns, and how anxious we feel for the safety of our children. In order to make the change, we have to be the change.
We would like the support of Bedford and it’s great educational institutions in this initiative. As you may have heard in the news, there are a lot of different towns and groups trying to call attention to these issues. We are proposing a walkout to coincide with the national school walkout day on March 14, 2018. The call is for students, parents, teachers, and allies to take part in the walkout for 17 minutes at 10 a.m. across every time zone. This article provides more details. Note the 17-minute walkout will be short enough to not be too disruptive to the school day, yet effective enough to make our point loud and clear.
We request the consent and participation of all parents and school administration on this matter. And we look forward to working with them as this requires some additional planning and mitigate any concerns the school, town administration or other parents might have.
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