NASHVILLE, TN – SEIU members across Tennessee are united in our opposition to SB1325/HB1202 – the arming teachers bill – that allows teachers, principals, and other school personnel to carry concealed firearms in our schools. We watched with anger as this bill passed the Senate on April 9th. We call on the House to reject it when it comes to them next.

Donna Clay has been an SEIU member and has worked in Metro Nashville Public Schools for over a decade. “This is going to cause so many problems if we arm teachers,” she said. “Teachers have enough things to deal with and being an armed security guard should not be one of them.”

Concerns are the same across the state. “Teachers and school staff have been loud and clear for years about what we need in our schools. And it’s never been to put guns in our hands or in our classrooms,” said Brenda Shields, an SEIU member at Shelby County Schools. “We have protocols to deal with safety threats. Teachers and staff already work around the clock and well beyond what our official job duties call for. We didn’t ask for this, we don’t want it. It’s not the answer.”

SEIU Local 205 joins the growing number of education, civil rights, community, and other groups advocating against legislation that says the answer to solving gun violence is more guns. More guns in classrooms only increases the risks of escalating conflicts. We call on Tennessee lawmakers to listen to the experts, research, and people most directly affected by this bill and to vote it down. This bill will put our students, teachers, staff and others at risk of injury and more unnecessary death and trauma.

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The SEIU Local 205 represents more than 3,800 members who are active in labor, community, and political work. We have chapters in Nashville, Memphis, Chattanooga, and Oak Ridge, representing both public and private sector workplaces. Our public sector chapters include support staff in the Metro Nashville Public School system and the Shelby County Consolidated Schools. SEIU is one of the most politically active unions in Tennessee and is well-renowned for our effective grassroots political program.