Covenant School parents, including Covenant Families for Brighter Tomorrows co-founders Melissa Alexander, Sarah Shoop Neumann and David Teague (center three)
A group of Covenant School parents and community members have created two nonprofits, Covenant Families for Brighter Tomorrows and Covenant Families Action Fund, to “protect children from gun violence.”
The nonprofits were announced in a press conference on Thursday in the Cordell Hull State Office Building in what spokesperson Alexei Laushkin called “a profound moment of hope in the midst of grief and loss both for the Covenant families, the city of Nashville, the state of Tennessee and indeed the nation.”Â
Prior to the press conference, the group gathered on the steps of the Tennessee State Capitol to pray for each state legislator leading up to the anticipated August special session proposed by Gov. Bill Lee in response to the March 27 school shooting. (Lee has yet to formally issue a special session call, and Republican lawmakers have said they do not plan to support a red-flag law like the one backed by the governor.)
“This organization [Covenant Families for Brighter Tomorrows] aims to provide education around the impact and prevention of school shootings and to improve mental health support,” Laushkin said. “The parents firmly believe that the school was made safe for that day due to the preparatory steps taken and they want to explore pragmatic steps that schools can take that keep kids safe in the event of a horrific day that, unfortunately, is becoming more common.”
Other speakers included Covenant School parents Sarah Shoop Neumann, Melissa Alexander and David Teague, who are also co-founders of both nonprofits.
Covenant Families for Brighter Tomorrows spokesperson Alexei Laushkin
Covenant Families for Brighter Tomorrows lists their objectives as advocating for “comprehensive measures that enhance security protocols, including improved infrastructure, increased training, and updated emergency response systems,” as well as increased mental health resources in schools and stricter gun safety measures while “preserving Second Amendment rights.”
“My hope is that their education and legislative advocacy I can bring up from these ashes in honor of the lives lost that we mourn so deeply for,” Shoop Neumann said, calling for “meaningful legislation,” including “firearm reform.”
Neumann held up her young son, Noah, who spoke softly into the collection of news microphones.
“I don’t want any guns for today or any day, and I love my school,” he said.
The nonprofits are not affiliated with the school or church, and Laushkin said that they have “no plans to endorse candidates.” The nonprofits are not involved in the ongoing lawsuit over the shooter’s manifesto, but some of the parents are individually involved in the litigation.
“Our group alone has already taken dozens of legislator meetings,” Alexander said. “We thank those who have met with us thus far and we will continue to do so because we believe there is power in sharing our story so that others can understand and learn from the experience our children and staff faced on that fateful day of March 27.”
Covenant School parent Sarah Shoop Neumann embraces her son, Noah, who is resting his head on a scarf bearing the names of the vicitms of the March 27 Covenant School shooting.
Alexander said that she is a gun owner who wants to see action taken “when there are clear signs that something is wrong.”
“We are advocating for gun violence prevention solutions, such as expanded background checks, secure storage, order of protection laws — a life-saving measure that could have prevented the tragedy at The Covenant School.”
Teague said that seeing police body camera footage inside of his child’s classroom “jarred” him and “deepened my resolve.”
“It's going to take everybody in the state and the small towns and big cities, but we just need to lower the volume and stop screaming at each other — talk to one another, see the humanity in each other, and we can find common ground to help make our children safer.”
While the special session is anticipated to take place in August, Republican State Senate Majority Leader Jack Johnson told SuperTalk 99.7 that he is “confident” that the legislature “will not pass any type of red flag law or ERPO, extreme risk protection order.”
“The parents are urging policymakers to get serious as it relates to the policies that are before them, and to pray and to reflect on what's possible,” Laushkin told reporters. “Conservative states like Florida and Indiana have these laws.”
