As the nation cobbles together legislation to prevent tragedies like the Newtown shooting, youth in California are weighing in. Students throughout the state contributed to a video produced and circulated by The California Endowment that “demands a plan” to bring more social and mental health services to schools in an effort to solve gun violence. Local students in the Media Arts Center San Diego’s Teen Producers Project created their own public service announcement calling for a focus on mental health.
A January study released by the Endowment shows 67 percent of participants said a school counselor would be more effective in preventing school violence than an armed campus police officer. Nearly 100 percent said school staff should be trained in recognizing and addressing signs of mental illness.
Text by Megan Burks