Senator Fred Akshar meets with 120 local students at ‘School Safety Summit’

Last Friday, Senator Fred Akshar met with 120 local students representing schools throughout Broome, Tioga, Chenango and Delaware Counties in the 52nd Senate District for his second “School Safety Summits.” 

For over two hours, Akshar and local students engaged in a town hall-style discussion, covering school safety issues like school resource officers, gun control, school counseling and mental health services and the importance of communication and relationships both in and out of school. No topic was off-limits.

Senator Fred Akshar stated, “I’m so incredibly moved and inspired by today’s School Safety Summit. These young men and women’s ability to have meaningful, articulate and respectful conversations about important issues no matter whether they disagreed with one another was a breath of fresh air and a sign of what’s absolutely right in our society and our community.”

While many students expressed support for more school resource officers in their school districts, others were uncomfortable with guns of any kind on school grounds. Some students felt the best solution to preventing school shootings is banning AR-15-style rifles, while others focused on the need for better mental health services in and out of school. Nearly all attendees agreed every student plays a part in keeping their school safe by reporting troubling behavior, reaching out to support fellow students who appear to be struggling and standing up for those being bullied. 

Vestal High School student Angelique de Rouen stated, “This experience was like no other. I cannot describe how moved I felt by being there with all of these different students coming from all sorts of different backgrounds. Today really showed that by overcoming adversity, recognizing that we all have differences but going past them, it showed how much of a change we can all make, and how that change starts with us.” 

Through these open discussions with stakeholders, Akshar seeks to learn more about the challenges faced by students, faculty, administration and law enforcement in ensuring the safety of our schools. Last month, Akshar met with school superintendents and law enforcement to help assess additional needs to keep local students safe. Through that meeting, Akshar identified funding delays in the Smart Schools Bond Act of 2013 and contacted the State Education Department help schools that have been waiting for up to 18 months get the school safety funding they needed. 

“In light of the recent attacks on students in Florida and Maryland, it’s incumbent upon our community to bring our local stakeholders together and make sure we’re doing everything we can to protect our children from these violent tragedies,” said Akshar, adding, “Our young people are absolutely stakeholders and must be part of the conversation if we’re going to move forward with any measures to ensure their safety. I value their perspective and they have my sincere thanks for working to be part of the solution.”