NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Families affected by the devastating Covenant School shooting on March 27 have come together to honor the memories of their loved ones and strive for a safer future.
The tragic incident claimed the lives of three young students and three staff members, leaving a deep scar on the community.
Nearly four months later, these grieving families are determined to ensure that no other community experiences this heartbreak, hoping to prevent similar tragedies from ever happening again.
"The mass shooting at our beloved school has forever been threaded into the story of our lives," said Sarah Shoop Neumann, a mother of a student at The Covenant School. "The trauma will never truly dissipate. We have no choice but to continue moving forward."
For Melissa Alexander, another Covenant School parent, sharing their story was a call to action.
"We mourn deeply for the loss of our staff and classmates," she said. "And I felt called to share our story with the hopes of creating a dialogue around what it's like to navigate the aftermath of a mass shooting."
Driven by their desire to prevent gun violence in schools, the Covenant families are taking their message to the public, aiming to create change through two nonprofit organizations they have established.
The first organization, Covenant Families for Brighter Tomorrows, is a grassroots nonprofit composed of Covenant parents, staff and survivors.
Its primary goal is to provide education on the impact of school shootings and raise awareness about prevention strategies. Additionally, the organization aims to enhance mental health support within schools to address underlying issues that may lead to such tragic events.
The second nonprofit, Covenant Families Action Fund, is a 501(c)4 organization focused on driving meaningful legislative change.
Its mission is to advocate for gun violence prevention solutions, including expanded background checks, secure storage regulations, and order protection laws. These life-saving measures, they believe, could have potentially prevented the tragedy at the Covenant School.
"Our hope is that through education and legislative advocacy, we can rise from these ashes and honor the lives we deeply mourn for," Shoop Neumann said.
As they continue to advocate to lawmakers, the Covenant families have dedicated 40 days to prayer and reflection, seeking wisdom and guidance on the best way forward.
Their aim is to initiate a meaningful dialogue with the state legislature during a possible special session to address critical issues surrounding gun violence prevention in schools.
Covenant Families is an independent entity and is not affiliated with The Covenant School or Covenant Church. Their initiatives and progress can be found on their website: www.covenantbrightertomorrows.org
Gov. Bill Lee has stated he will call a special session for August in response to calls for more gun violence prevention statewide.
