“Our children deserve to be safe. Every child. Every school. Every single day.”
WASHINGTON, D.C., October 15, 2026 — Keri Rodrigues, President of the National Parents Union, released the following statement after a school shooting at an Oregon Elementary school:
“Today, four lives have reportedly been stolen in a shooting at an elementary school in Bend, Oregon. Families are shattered, a school community is traumatized, and parents across America are once again confronted with an unbearable reality: the leading cause of death for children and teens in this country is gun violence, and these deaths are preventable.
No parent should have to wonder whether the goodbye they say at school drop-off will be their last. No child should have to practice hiding from a gunman before they have mastered reading. And no educator should have to risk their life simply by showing up to teach.
We cannot continue to accept the slaughter of children and the terrorization of school communities as an inevitable part of American life.
Our hearts are with the families in Bend, but our children deserve more than thoughts, prayers, and another news cycle. They deserve to grow up. They deserve to learn without fear. They deserve adults who treat their lives as more valuable than our political disagreements.”
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ABOUT THE NATIONAL PARENTS UNION
With more than 1,800 affiliated parent organizations in all 50 states, Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico, the National Parents Union is the united, independent voice of modern American families. We channel the power of parents into powerful policies that improve the lives of children, families and communities across the United States. https://nationalparentsunion.org/