ARVADA, Colo. — Students at Arvada West High School organized a town hall to address gun violence and mental health in schools following the Sept. 10 shooting at Evergreen High School.
The student-led organization Team ENOUGH A West hosted the event in the school's auditorium Tuesday afternoon to foster open dialogue about these issues and push for meaningful change.
"The real wake-up call was Evergreen with how close in proximity that was," said Spencer Robuck, one of the student organizers.
Izaiah Brees, another member of Team ENOUGH, said he knew other students shared his desire to take action.
"I knew that I wasn't the only one wanting to do something in response to this," he told Denver7.
The town hall featured Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser, whose office operates Safe2Tell, a statewide anonymous reporting system for students, staff and the community. Weiser is also running to become Colorado's next governor.
Students shared personal experiences with Safe2Tell, including Robuck, who credited the platform with saving his life during a mental health crisis.
"One of the things that really helped me was one of my friends ended up calling Safe2Tell on me, and the officers came, and it helped me mightily," Robuck told the crowd.
However, some students expressed concerns about slow response times and insufficient awareness of the program within schools.
"That is one of the biggest questions we're working on," said Weiser. "When you see something, please say something. And what haunts me about Evergreen is, did anybody see something and not say something?"
The students proposed several changes, including the addition of mental health education to the school's curriculum. They are also pitching new safety measures such as clear backpacks and metal detectors.
"The more that you can have an open conversation about gun violence and gun safety, the more kids feel like they have a voice and that they can help participate in change," Brees said.
Weiser praised the students' initiative.
"One of the parts of today's conversation that I am incredibly inspired by is these kids here today at Arvada West, they're taking action," Weiser said. "They're not waiting for adults. They're developing plans to make their school safer."
Brees said he'd like to see his school hold more lockdown drills during unstructured periods, like lunch. Arvada West Principal Micah Porter said the school is planning to hold one next week, and more information will be released to students and parents soon.
