Private-school heads urge ‘common-sense gun laws’

Public letter to lawmakers runs as ad in today’s ‘AJC.’

Leaders of dozens of Georgia’s well-known and prestigious private schools are imploring legislators to enact “common-sense gun laws” to prevent school shootings.

The public letter, signed by 47 independent school chiefs, calls on the nation’s leaders to take action now. The letter runs an ad in today’s Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

The school heads express sadness for the February shooting in Parkland, Florida, that killed 17 people, and outline ways their schools ward off would-be shooters — from panic buttons to cameras, locks, counseling, drills and training. They also call on elected officials to step up.

“Despite our best efforts, we recognize that we do not have the power to prevent individuals bent on violence from acquiring the weapons used in recent school shootings. We are writing because YOU have that power. We implore you to enact the common-sense gun laws supported by the overwhelming majority of Americans. We can no longer abide your inaction,” the letter states.

The letter is signed by leaders who represent religious schools, elementary and high schools, and some of the highest-ranked academic powerhouses in the state, including The Westminster Schools, Woodward Academy, The Lovett School and Pace Academy.

Pace Academy Head of School Fred Assaf spearheaded the effort. He was inspired by the high schoolers-turned-advocates from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, who launched a nationwide conversation about gun control after surviving the Feb. 14 shooting at their school. He also cited a similar letter signed by leaders of about 150 private schools in New York.

Assaf said he reached out to roughly 170 independent schools, of varying sizes, around the state. Those who signed represent schools with a total enrollment of more than 23,000 students, he said.

The letter does not detail specific changes or reforms.

“We hope that those who are charged with leading in the legislature will add our voice to the chorus of voices,” Assaf said. “We are not policy makers, and we do not pretend to know what is best.”

Bill Garrett, president of Cristo Rey Atlanta Jesuit High School, said he signed the letter because students need to be in a safe environment.

“The nation has to do something about the gun violence, and part of it is dealing with the supply issue. It is not something we as an individual can do. It is something that our legislators have to do, and the fact that they have been unwilling to do it is just deplorable,” he said.

Though much of the attention after a school shooting focuses on public schools, safety is also the top concern at private schools, leaders said.

“If children don’t feel safe coming to school, then they cannot learn. They cannot be their best selves,” said Nishant Mehta, head of school at The Children’s School in Atlanta’s midtown, who also signed the letter.

Prominent area private schools whose leaders did not sign the letter include St. Pius X Catholic High School and Marist School, among others.

Marist School, an independent Catholic school, issued a statement Thursday that said its position aligns with that of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

The school said the bishops have long supported “a federal ban on assault weapons, limitations on civilian access to high-capacity weapons and ammunition magazines, further criminalizing gun trafficking, certain limitations on the purchase of handguns, and safety measures such as locks that prevent children and anyone other than the owner from using guns without permission.”