CeaseFirePA hold meeting in Chester County to discuss gun violence prevention in schools
WEST CHESTER, Pa. - Only a few weeks into the new school year, and already the topic of school safety is on the minds of so many students, teachers, and staff.
Residents and local law enforcement gathered in West Chester to discuss ways to prevent gun violence in schools.
How can we keep kids safe at school? This was the question brought to the roundtable in Chester County Monday night. A conversation especially critical as less than a month into this new school year, school shootings have already happened across the country.
"It's a terrible thing to say to little children, 'You have to get over there because the bad person with the AR-15 might be able to see you through the window,' and I would tell them if anyone comes in here they’re going to shoot me first," said Jeffrey Singleton, a Downingtown Public School teacher.
Jeffrey Singleton has been a teacher for 35 years and says he has seen the classroom increasingly feel unsafe. But he doesn’t want that to continue, so he uses his voice at events such as the roundtable discussion CeaseFirePA held.
"While what I want to be thinking about is, 'Is my six-year-old excited? Does she have a problem with the new class she’s in?' The reality is every parent is also thinking about, 'Are they safe in school?'" said Adam Garber, CeaseFirePA Education Fund’s executive director.
But that’s especially top of mind for many parents and students after a school shooting in Georgia last week.
"Imagining the fact kids my age and younger have to go to school every single day and fear for their lives is just wrong on so many levels," said Rowan Mannon, a senior at Abington Friends, from Phoenixville.
Monday night’s conversation, which also brought local elected officials to the table, focused on preventative measures like safe firearm storage and extreme risk protection orders.
"Extreme risk protection orders simply say that if someone is exhibiting a risk, that they’re threatening to shoot up a school or they’re threatening violence, the court can determine if the risk is imminent and remove their access to firearms," Garber explained.
However, Dr. Erika Dawkins says change goes beyond restricting access.
"It increases intrigue, so we have to educate and be willing to answer questions at an appropriate developmental level for each child and teen about what we're trying to support and protect them from," said Dr. Erika Dawkins of the Chester Community Coalition.
"I feel like, 'Do we matter? Is anybody worried about us and our well-being? How much of a campaign contribution does it take to prevent a legislator from caring about our safety or our anxiety?'" questioned Singleton.
CeaseFirePA will hold another roundtable in Broomall Tuesday night.