-
Superintendent Guerrero’s Statement on Gun Violence and Impact on School Safety
12/13/2022Yesterday, for the third time in two months, a gun was fired just outside a Portland Public Schools campus. In two of those instances, PPS students have been injured. And across the city, during this same time period, far too many Portlanders have been victims of our region’s escalating gun violence.
As a lifelong educator, I see my primary responsibility as ensuring the safety and well-being of the children and youth under our care, as well as their teaching and learning. I am grateful for the commitment and service of our educators and support staff who everyday dedicate themselves to accomplishing these goals.
But as gunfire rattles another PPS community, I urge our community to come together and work collectively towards resolving the social problems plaguing our neighborhoods.
If students fear for their safety, or their friends’ safety, or their family members’ safety, they cannot enter our classrooms feeling safe, secure, and ready to learn. If gun violence continues to occur, especially near our school buildings, students will feel a heightened anxiety, instead of a greater sense of belonging and safety. Compounding matters, our students are still recovering from the impacts of the pandemic: mental and behavioral needs have never been greater.
In public schools, our responsibility is to serve every student who walks through our doors. As educators, we understand that many of the children and young adults we have the privilege of serving face a range of real challenges in their lives. We know that families are often confronting generational poverty, institutional racism, and economic or housing-related challenges. Our job is to recognize these barriers, support our students, and ensure they have access to a high-quality education. It is our shared belief, as stated in our district’s vision, that a rigorous and well-rounded education will better prepare our graduates to be critical thinkers, ready to lead a more socially just world.
We’ll continue to focus on our sphere of influence: ensuring every student has a well-rounded education. We will focus on making sure that our schools are safe, welcoming, and stable spaces, and that our educators and staff are people they can depend on. We’ll continue to partner with community-based and culturally specific organizations to help provide our students with essential support services and mentorship. And we will maintain a focus on making sure every student knows we believe in their brilliance and potential.
This needs to be a community-wide effort. We need to work together to center our children and youth, and to develop meaningful solutions that will encourage a peaceful and positive environment required for them to thrive. PPS stands ready to be part of the solution.
Guadalupe Guerrero
Superintendent
By Month
- February 2025
- January 2025
- October 2024
- September 2024
- June 2024
- May 2024
- April 2024
- March 2024
- February 2024
- January 2024
- December 2023
- November 2023
- October 2023
- September 2023
- August 2023
- June 2023
- May 2023
- January 2023
- December 2022
- November 2022
- October 2022
- September 2022
- August 2022
- July 2022
- June 2022
- May 2022
- April 2022
- March 2022
- February 2022
- January 2022
- December 2021
- November 2021
- October 2021
- September 2021
- August 2021
- July 2021
- June 2021
- May 2021
- April 2021
- March 2021
- February 2021
- January 2021
- December 2020
- October 2020
- September 2020
- August 2020
- July 2020
- June 2020
- May 2020
- April 2020
- March 2020
- February 2020
- January 2020
- December 2019
- November 2019
- October 2019
- September 2019
- August 2019
- June 2019
- May 2019
- April 2019
- March 2019
- February 2019
- January 2019
- December 2018
- November 2018
- October 2018
- September 2018
- August 2018
- July 2018
- June 2018
- May 2018
- April 2018
- March 2018
- February 2018
- January 2018
- December 2017
- November 2017
- October 2017
- September 2017
- August 2017
- July 2017
- June 2017
- May 2017
- April 2017
- March 2017
- February 2017
- January 2017
- December 2016
- November 2016
- October 2016
- September 2016
- August 2016
- July 2016
- June 2016
- May 2016
- April 2016
- March 2016
- February 2016
- January 2016
- December 2015
- June 2015