CHARLOTTE — The Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools held its inaugural Safety Summit, launching the 24Safe, Stronger Together campaign to enhance school safety through community involvement.
The summit, attended by dozens of parents and community members, aimed to shift the focus of school safety from just the physical school environment to include community partnerships and resources.
“It’s not just about law enforcement, it’s about building a safe network and how can we help the children, and our students,” said Chief Jonathan Thomas.
Dr. Tim Ivey, CMS Chief Operations Officer, emphasized community involvement, stating, “One of the things we’re gonna do is ask people to sign a pledge that’s just saying that they understand that safety is important.”
The 24Safe, Stronger Together campaign is built on four pillars: personnel, building security, prevention, and community support.
Personnel includes school resource officers, while building security focuses on measures to secure school facilities.
Prevention efforts were highlighted by the distribution of free gun locks at the event.
Community support was evident through the presence of various organizations at the resource fair, offering services to families.
Hephzibah Israel, a mother of three, attended the summit seeking support for safety issues concerning her children.
“There’s lots of resources that are available to families that might be going through different situations,” Israel noted.
She emphasized the importance of being connected with school programs that offer counseling and other supportive services.
The CMS Safety Summit marks a proactive step towards a comprehensive approach to school safety, involving not just schools but the entire community in safeguarding students.
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