SACRAMENTO, JANUARY 11, 2021 – California State PTA has released the following statement in response to the riots at the U.S. Capitol, which shook the nation.
“We at California State PTA denounce last week’s attack on our Capitol,” said Celia Jaffe, President of California State PTA. “This assault on our government was shocking and intolerable. As a nonpartisan organization, PTA supports full participation in, and respect for, the democratic process, affirming that free and fair elections and an orderly transfer of power are cornerstones of our democracy that must not be compromised.”
“Our body of dedicated parents and teachers has a long history of empowering children and families by fostering civic engagement in our communities. We concur with National PTA that the divisive actions of Wednesday provide parents, as first educators, an opportunity to have open and critical discussion about how democracy and civics work in our country.”
“We should also remind our children that the uncivil actions of a few cannot thwart the positive impacts of the many that are committed to the advancement of greater diversity, equity and inclusion in our schools and communities.”
California State PTA encourages the review of our resolutions on civics education (Support for the Civic Mission of Schools (2006) and Citizenship Education (1989)) and information on how civics create educated citizens.
Supporting children as they witness upsetting news stories is crucial. Here is a PTA resource: https://www.pta.org/home/family-resources/health/Emotional-Health/Discussing-Difficult-Situations-With-Your-Children
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About California State PTA: California State PTA connects families, schools and communities. We are part of the foundation of our public education system and a trusted messenger to millions of members, parents, families, educators and allied agencies throughout the state. PTA is the nation’s largest volunteer-led child-advocacy association working to drive improvements in the education, health and well-being of all children and families. For more information visit www.capta.org.
MEDIA CONTACTS:
Heather Ippolito
Vice President for Communications
communications@capta.org
Ignacio Barragan
Assistant Executive Director
ibarragan@capta.org
916.440.1985