ATLANTA, G.A. – Members of the National Education Association are honoring the heroes this week at the organization’s national convention in Atlanta.
West Virginia Education Association President Dale Lee said the teachers in Newtown and Oklahoma City are perfect examples of teachers who have sacrificed much for their students.
“Teachers do everything within their power to protect their students and ensure that not only they are making a difference in their lives educationally but when they come into harm teachers are going to protect them,” Lee told MetroNews from Atlanta.
Four teachers, the principal and school psychologist were all killed during a shooting rampage at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Connecticut. While teachers hovered over their students during the Oklahoma City tornado in May.
Lee said all of those teachers are heroes. He said progress in school safety needs to be a priority.
“A school should be a place where students feel free, safe and comfortable and not have to worry about outside crazy forces that happen,” Lee said.
The WVEA president is pleased with the progress made with school safety in the Mountain State. He said it’s ahead of other states.
“Many of our schools have resource officers in them. You have to be buzzed into the schools. You have in many places give your identification to go into the schools.”
The state School Building Authority has vowed to make schools constructed in the future even safer.
The NEA convention continues through Saturday at the Georgia World Congress Center.