Pennsylvania’s attorney general visits McKeesport students for discussion on gun violence, mental health
The roundtable discussion was the first in a series set to be held across the state.
The roundtable discussion was the first in a series set to be held across the state.
The roundtable discussion was the first in a series set to be held across the state.
Pennsylvania’s attorney general stopped in McKeesport Wednesday to talk to students about gun violence and the toll it can have on mental health.
The roundtable discussion was the first in a series set to be held across the state.
A day before National Gun Violence Awareness Month kicks off, Attorney General Michelle Henry visited McKeesport High School and had students lead the discussion.
Some said they’ve been through a lot.
“We had shootings since December through March, and it was just different people, even people that were close to us, like Dom Cochran, his was in March, and the police officer, it was very sad. It was a lot to deal with,” high school senior Joslyn Fulmore said.
Fulmore was one of the students involved in the roundtable discussion with Henry.
Although it was closed off to the media so students could talk freely, Henry said these upcoming visits are needed now more than ever.
“We wanted to kick it off by coming to McKeesport High School. We wanted to hear directly from these students how it is impacting them and ways that we can help them, and I wanted to hear firsthand from them,” Henry said.
Superintendent Dr. Tia Wanzo said the district has several resources available for students, including guidance counselors and social workers.
The district has also partnered with the attorney general's office for its Safe2Say Program. Students can submit anonymous tips about people who may be a threat to themselves or others.
“You hear different levels of what is going on with the students. Some of the things that you hear are that they are fearful, that they are nervous, that they are truly impacted by what is going on in the community,” Wanzo said.
Wednesday’s discussion is the first of many in the state.
“At the end of it, we would like to pull together a report with recommendations on how we can support students and how we can make them better able to cope with the violence that is in their communities,” Henry said.
“It was really nice for somebody as important as her to be able to listen to us,” Fulmore said.
Henry said so far, they have received about 120,000 tips through their Safe2Say Program — 11,000 of them have dealt with threats of violence.
