The Clarion Call report
Clarion University
Mass shootings and other acts of violence have been appearing in recent news, and many are taking action to try to prepare for such events.
Clarion University announced that it will host a Safe Schools Summit on Dec. 3 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
With the increase of acts of mass violence, Clarion wants to educate its students to get a better grasp or understanding of those situations.
According to the university website, there are three main speakers scheduled for the event, and each has been affected by mass violence.
The first is Kristina Anderson, survivor of a mass shooting incident at Virginia Tech in 2007.
Murrysville Police Chief Thomas Seefield, another speaker for the event, was the incident commander during a stabbing incident at Franklin Regional School District.
The third guest speaker is Mary Margaret Kerr, Ed.D. from the University of Pittsburgh.
Kerr is the author of “School Crisis Prevention and Intervention,” and she is the co-founder of STAR-Center for Suicide, which is a program that provides services to fight adolescent suicide.
The event will cover mental health topics, incident response advice, a look into planning and preparation and a look into a situation from the view of a survivor.
Along with those, tips for identifying possible warning behaviors and recommended ways to support survivors is part of the scheduled topics for students.
Breakout sessions will be held in the afternoon during the event and will benefit K-12 teachers, police and law enforcement, first responders and more according to the university website.
This event has the intention of creating a conversation to keep people as safe as possible in a mass violence situation.
A $10 registration fee is required to attend, and it includes a lunch.
Along with the summit, Anderson will hold a presentation in Gemmell MPR at 6 p.m. on Dec. 3.
Her lecture will be free and open to the public for anyone who wants to listen to her story.
For more information about the summit and event registration, visit www.clarion.edu/safeschools.
