Florida Teacher Who Hid 19 Students Slams Congress in Emotional Interview

News & Politics

A teacher who hid 19 students during a school massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School slammed lawmakers on Thursday for offering prayers to the victims instead of acting to prevent school shootings.


During an interview on the Today Show, host Hoda Kotb noted that teacher Melissa Falkowski had done everything correctly during the shooting, but that alone could not prevent the death of 17.

“You did exactly what they told you,” Kotb explained. “You knew the drills, you put the kids in the right place. And yet, this happened anyway.”

“I’ve seen this on TV, we all have,” Falkowski replied. “This shooting after shooting and there’s always the same thing is said, ‘It’s not the time to talk about gun control, it’s not the time. It’s time to pray for the families.'”

“And I just think that hasn’t gotten us anywhere,” she continued, tearing up. “I mean, here we are and we’re like the latest statistic on school violence. And as a society, as Americans, we’re failing our children. And we’re not keeping them safe. And Congress is failing us and the government is failing us.”

Falkowski concluded: “Something has to be done.”

Watch the video below from NBC.

Understand the importance of honest news ?

So do we.

The past year has been the most arduous of our lives. The Covid-19 pandemic continues to be catastrophic not only to our health - mental and physical - but also to the stability of millions of people. For all of us independent news organizations, it’s no exception.

We’ve covered everything thrown at us this past year and will continue to do so with your support. We’ve always understood the importance of calling out corruption, regardless of political affiliation.

We need your support in this difficult time. Every reader contribution, no matter the amount, makes a difference in allowing our newsroom to bring you the stories that matter, at a time when being informed is more important than ever. Invest with us.

Make a one-time contribution to Alternet All Access, or click here to become a subscriber. Thank you.

Click to donate by check.

DonateDonate by credit card
Donate by Paypal
{{ post.roar_specific_data.api_data.analytics }}
@2023 - AlterNet Media Inc. All Rights Reserved. - "Poynter" fonts provided by fontsempire.com.