Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/795366
A t the opening of its January meeting, CTA State Council of Education unanimously passed a Resolution of Unity, Resolve and Resilience in support of the education all students deserve. The resolution asks all Californians, including elected leaders regardless of party affiliation, to join us in supporting a strong, inclusive, safe and innovative public education system that ensures all students can succeed. Our public schools must remain centers of our communities, and must not become corporate profit centers. We hold these values because all children, regardless of family circumstances, where they live, where they were born, how they look, who they love, or the language they speak, have the right to a public education that helps them reach their full potential. In addition, State Council delegates and leadership held a news conference in which CTA President Eric Heins called for the rejection of Betsy DeVos as the next U.S. secretary of education. Her blatantly extremist, anti-public school political agenda violates every student's civil rights at the most basic level. CTA members are standing together against any policies that undermine students' right to attend school free of fear, bully- ing and discrimination. Delegates urged all CTA members to visit cta.org/forallstudents to: • Take the pledge to support public education that ensures all students can succeed, and ask colleagues, friends, family and community to do the same. • Read the full resolution. • Take action on social media by shar- ing CTA's memes and messages. Chapters can use CTA's Social Justice Toolkit at cta.org/forallstudents, includ- ing posters, sample social media posts, etc., to create safe zones, encourage their local school board to adopt the res- olution, respond to hostile acts at school, improve school climate, and more. " We call on all Californians to join us in supporting a strong, inclusive, safe and innovative public education system. We send a clear message about California's values to those looking to privatize our schools, deport our students, or demean our profession." — CTA President Eric Heins, from his speech to State Council Unity, Resolve and Resilience in Support of Students CTA President Eric Heins, center, surrounded by more than 700 delegates to CTA State Council at the news conference in Los Angeles in January. Photo by Mike Myslinski 42 cta.org CTA & You