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Important end of year reminders: File clean out Tentative assignments MORE
June 8, 2022 PHILADELPHIA—Amidst an ongoing scourge of gun violence that continues its catastrophic toll in Philadelphia and across the country, PFT President Jerry Jordan yesterday joined Tuesdays with Toomey to again call attention to this urgent crisis. In addition to the PFT and Tuesdays with Toomey, the event was co-sponsored by Cease Fire PA, March for Our Lives, Indivisible Philadelphia, and Heeding God's Call. Pennsylvanians will continue to put pressure on Senator Toomey to listen to his constituents and implement gun safety measures that will save lives. The PFT is urging its members, as well as any concerned Pennsylvanians, to take action today and call Senator Toomey. The message is clear: gun reform is urgently needed.  MORE

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June 8, 2022

Dear Members & Community Partners,

This is urgent. Senator Toomey could very well be the deciding factor in the move towards common-sense gun reform. (Take a look at March for Our Lives Co-Founder David Hogg's message on the importance of Senator Toomey's vote here.)

Today, I need you to call Senator Toomey. Call both his Philadelphia and DC office. Then let us know you have called by clicking here.

  • DC: (202) 224-4254
  • Philadelphia: (215) 241-1090

Before he leaves office, Senator Toomey has the chance to do something meaningful that will make a

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June 7, 2022

This afternoon, PFT President Jerry Jordan joined Tuesdays with Toomey, Cease Fire PA, March for Our Lives, Heeding God's Call, and Indivisible Philadelphia at a die-in and a call to action on gun violence. 

Jordan's prepared remarks are as follows:

Good afternoon. I’m Jerry Jordan, President of the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers.

We’re here in solidarity, in sorrow, and in rage.

We’re here because the crisis of gun violence continues unchecked. And far too many elected officials in Harrisburg and Washington continue to refuse to take action either because they simply don’t care

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June 5, 2022 "The ongoing devastation wrought by gun violence is simply too much to bear. I am sick and enraged over last night’s mass shooting in Philadelphia that left three lives cut short and countless others forever changed. The time for action on gun reform is long overdue. Shame on every single politician who sits on their hands while this catastrophic violence continues. MORE
May 31, 2022 Read the op-ed here. With burgeoning resources in the Commonwealth’s coffers, coupled with an evergreen moral (and constitutional) imperative, this year’s state budget must meaningfully and sustainably address years of continued disinvestment in our young people. Just over two weeks ago, a white supremacist targeted a predominantly Black community in Buffalo, NY, killing 10 community members — a teacher, a bus aide, a community activist, and so many others who were deeply loved. And since that day, our nation has endured 33 mass shootings. Over the holiday weekend in Philadelphia, 13 people were murdered, including a 10-year-old boy and his father. Just over a week ago, we saw horror unfold at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, where a gunman terrorized a community and stole the lives of nineteen precious fourth graders and two beloved teachers. In both Buffalo and Uvalde, these acts were carried out by an 18-year-old with legal access to an assault rifle. The crisis of gun violence is intolerable, and we continue to call for both local and national solutions, including common sense gun reform. Further, both the gun violence crisis and the deadly COVID-19 pandemic have disproportionately affected Black and brown children and their families. Decades of disinvestment in public education has also hurt Black and brown children. In 2022, communities are still deeply immersed in the fight for equity for our young people — and continue to be forced to justify resources that are seen as nonnegotiable in wealthier, whiter school districts. In fact, advocates have had to sue the Commonwealth for its abject failure to meet its constitutional mandate to provide all of Pennsylvania’s children with a thorough and efficient system of public education. MORE