Bari Cohn
Executive News Editor
Hannah Parker
Managing Editor
Mira Costa Choir teacher and 2014 California Teacher of the Year Michael Hayden launched a campaign amongst other TOY’s in order to advocate for stricter gun laws and campus security.
A gunman opened fire killing 17 students and staff on Feb. 14 at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, sparking the need for gun reform, Hayden said. After the shooting, on Feb. 21, Hayden posted in the TOY Facebook page urging teachers to unify and stand up to legislatures to enact laws that will protect their students.
“If there’s any group of people that should be speaking out it should be us, the TOYs” Hayden said. “I’m tired and weary about these shootings across our nation. I knew at some level I might be taking a risk because these are all California Teachers of the Year and we’re not all on the same page politically, but I didn’t care.”
Approximately 25 TOYs met, via video chat on Feb. 25, in order to begin a organized discussion on what could be done to spark change, Hayden said. The teachers came to an agreement on topics such as the need for background checks in order to purchase guns and increased mental health support for students.
“I believe [the TOYs] can and should do this; the time has come,” Hayden said. “I’m tired of people moving on from shooting after shooting, thinking they can’t do anything.”
Hayden, California State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson and 2018 TOY Brian McDaniel co-authored and published an op-ed that that was directed toward the California Department of Education, Hayden said. Torlakson also wrote an open letter to President Donald Trump addressing gun regulations, which 61 TOYs, including Hayden, signed.
“We can no longer remain silent while students, teachers and classified employees are slain on school campuses with assault weapons designed for combat,” Torlakson said in the newsletter. “We dream of the time when schools are so safe that the State Superintendent of Public Instruction and the California Teachers of the Year do not have to talk about guns but can focus entirely on education and teaching our children.”
Hayden and four other TOYs created a committee to voice their opinions, Hayden said. They created four public service announcements lasting 30 seconds, 1 minute, 2 minutes and 3 minutes, in order to establish their viewpoint on gun violence and how it affects campus safety. The Los Angeles Teachers Union published the 1 minute PSA and has since received approximately 52 thousand views at the time of publication.
Hayden is speaking with Headline News Channel’s anchor Carol Costello today as a part of a three-segment live news program, he said, where he will address topics such as why he believes now is a tipping point in the gun regulations debate.
“I want to change policy; I am tired of the status quo,” Hayden said. “I’m tired of people moving on from shooting and shooting and thinking that they can’t do anything.”
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