Many of the first responders are members of AFSCME, and we join AFSCME president Lee Saunders, Connecticut Governor Dan Malloy, and President Barack Obama in praising these individuals for their heroic response to Friday's shooting.

Council 62 represents thousands of school employees in Indiana and Kentucky, and we are committed to working closely with school administrators to strengthen safety and security procedures so that our members and the children and families they serve never have to endure what the Newtown community has endured.

Finally, we would like to echo the words of Diann Woodard, President of the American Federation of School Administrators (AFSA, AFL-CIO):

"We must come together more than ever and demand that our legislatures take action in response to this atrocity. We must ensure that proper safety measures are put into place to protect our students, teachers, and principals. Above all, we must take care of one another."

Go to www.afscme.org to write a note of condolence to the people of Newtown, CT.