February 17, 2023

In the wake of the tragedy at MSU, MASP President Vincent Hodge sent a message yesterday which focused on caring for those impacted by the shooting on campus.  His message was not intended to diminish our efforts to advocate for effective gun safety legislation in Michigan and the nation; in fact, the MASP Executive Board remains committed to advocate for legislation that would work to  prevent more senseless gun violence.  Vincent himself is deeply passionate about that, but wanted to ensure we were taking time to truly grieve for those affected.  This is a complex issue with multiple sets of feelings and calls for action going on at the same time.  

President Hodge conveys these thoughts:

Please accept and extend my humble and heartfelt apologies. As a direct victim of, and immediate witness to, gun violence, I understand your feelings. In my effort to provide an immediate response to what was unfolding, I failed to recognize that I was triggered by this event. My statement was more of a personal reminder, and not a public instruction or statement on behalf of MASP. Please rest assured, despite this unintended miscommunication, that the MASP Executive Council (including myself) continues to support our posted position on gun violence.  I am so deeply affected by what happened to those students, their families, and all students and employees on campus.

In December, 2021, the MASP Executive Board approved and adopted a Statement on School Violence Prevention which we hope can be an important advocacy tool to help support school psychologists and others in their efforts for effective consultation and systems level change to ensure that all Michigan schools can learn and thrive in a safe and supportive environment.  The statement, in its entirety, can be found here: MASP Statement of School Violence Prevention.  The mission of the Michigan Association of School Psychologists (MASP) is that all Michigan students achieve  their fullest potential.  In order to accomplish this mission, we must work to ensure that students learn and thrive in school environments that are safe and free from violence.  MASP joins the call for the passage of common sense and reasonable gun safety legislation in Michigan, as well as to increase the availability of school psychologists and access to comprehensive school mental and behavioral health services.