On January 25, 2024, the U.S. Department of Education (USDE) sent a Dear Colleague Letter (DCL) to school principals and district administrators across the country. The purpose of the DCL, signed by Education Secretary Miguel Cardona, was “to emphasize a strategy where school principals and district administrators have a unique capacity to help save lives: encouraging safe firearms storage.” Sec. Cardona also urged school officials to “educate the whole school community about the importance of safe firearm storage” by sharing information within the community — including parents and families, parent organizations, and local officials — to help educate people about the importance of “safe firearm storage because doing so has the power to save lives.”

The DCL also included a template letter for school leaders to send to their communities.

To view the DCL, click here.

To access the USDE press release, click here.

To download the template letter for use by school officials to inform the public, click here.