EI expresses its shock at the murder of 33 people on the campus of Virginia Tech on 16 April by a lone gunman. 17 others were wounded.
He carried out two attacks early yesterday morning before turning the gun on himself.
The massacre took place almost eight years after the Columbine High killings. On 20 April 1999, two teenagers shot and killed 12 other students and a teacher before taking their own lives.
"Schools should be safe havens for children and youth, places where learning and teaching take place sheltered from the violence in the wider world," says EI General Secretary, Fred van Leeuwen.
EI offers its condolences to the families and friends of the victims, as well as colleagues at the National Education Association (NEA) and the American Federation of Teachers (AFT).