School Safety

Our public schools must be safe spaces for students and staff, and that takes all of us: supporting common sense gun laws, teaching children tolerance and kindness, and working to ensure children and families have the support they need to be successful. School safety cannot just be about preventing intruders or preventing school shootings. While those are extremely important, school safety must also include social-emotional support for students, anti-bullying initiatives, and restorative justice practices. When students feel safe at school, they are able to focus on learning. Administrators, lawmakers, and community members all play a role in making our schools safe spaces.

For more than a decade, NC lawmakers have loosened gun laws. One such law passed in 2025 allows staff members and volunteers to carry guns on private school campuses. Governor Stein vetoed the bill but state lawmakers were able to override that veto and the law went into effect on December 1, 2025.

Other legislation, unrelated to firearms, can make schools less safe for students. For example, bills that attack transgender minors promote negative and false narratives about transgender youth. When these children are attacked and bullied by lawmakers, it promotes the idea that this is permissible and can make students feel less safe in their K-12 school environments.

Bullying is also directly related to school safety. When students are bullied at school, it can lead to chronic absenteeism, decline in academic performance, and even suicidal ideation. It’s imperative we all work together to create and maintain safe school environments for all students.