ST. LOUIS – On Thursday afternoon, high school students from the St. Louis Public Schools District (SLPS) and Confluence Academies led the discussion at the Sun Theater in Grand Center on preventing deaths of children from gunfire in the city.
“We’ve done giveaways for gun locks and provided literature, and most importantly here, is an opportunity for students to impact curriculum and say we want to have advocacy and voice in keeping our communities safe,” So here’s an opportunity for them to help us with that.”
Last year, SLPS and Confluence formed Educators for Gun Safety, a collaborative effort to address preventable gun violence.
Educators for Gun Safety has given families information on gun safety in the home, tips for avoiding unsafe situations, and overall firearm safety.
“We’ve done giveaways for gun locks and provided literature and most importantly here is an opportunity for students to impact curriculum and say we want to have advocacy and voice in keeping our communities safe,” said Candice Carter-Oliver, CEO of Confluence Academies. “So here’s an opportunity for them to help us with that.”
In 2022, school leaders were driven by the alarming number of accidental and preventable gun-related incidents in St. Louis. Now, leaders are trying to get students to help build the next phase of the effort.
About a dozen students took part in Thursday’s student-led discussion to help build the next phase of gun safety efforts in St. Louis.