ARVADA, Colo. (KDVR) — A unique discussion about school safety happened at Arvada West High School Tuesday between students and Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser.
According to Weiser, the Arvada West chapter of Team Enough invited him for a question and answer session. The teens said they wanted to focus on mental health, gun legislation and overall school safety.
“This is definitely a unique event in this format,” Weiser said. ‘I will say, I take every chance I get to talk and listen to students. It’s always inspiring and it’s always informative.”
Weiser’s office operates the state’s Safe2Tell program. He has also worked on several issues impacting the youth, including suing social media companies that Weiser believes have policies that harm them.
“I actually find with young people there is less BS. There is more real engagement and there is often a sense of idealism that it’s up to their generation to fix challenges that they’re inheriting,” Weiser said.
Many of the teens had questions about mental health and how to help students who are suffering. One idea the panel brought up included creating a new curriculum to help normalize conversations about mental health challenges. Another student’s idea suggested requiring clear backpacks and metal detectors in schools.
One of the panelists, a student named Spencer, shared his own story about his mental health struggles in hopes of helping others.
“I was really down, the verge of my limits and one of the things that really helped me was one of my friends calling Safe2Tell on me and the officers came and it helped me think things through,” Spencer said. “Is there anyway you think we could help almost bolster and bring more awareness to if you see something, say something?”
Weiser applauded the teen for having the courage to share his story. Weiser said the Colorado Attorney General’s Office has been working on ways to make Safe2Tell more effective and impactful.
“What haunts me about Evergreen is, did anybody see something and not say something? And how do we better encourage people to take seriously signs of mental health or someone who is in a bad place and might do something dangerous?” Weiser said.
Weiser told the students on stage that he does not have all of the answers to their questions, but believes conversations like the one on Tuesday will help in finding a solution.
“The number one cause of death for young people is gun violence. It is a public health emergency and we should be treating it like one, which means we need to keep asking what else can we do to help save lives?” Weiser said.
Anthony Sutton is a business strategist and writer with a passion for management, leadership, and entrepreneurship. With years of experience in the corporate world, he shares insights on business growth, strategy, and innovation through management-opleiding.org.
