Up early to attend the CPS board work session where secure storage's on the agenda. Since 2015, schools across the US have taken action on promoting secure storage. Millions of parents receive #BeSMART materials, to educate and raise awareness about how to securely store guns—and why it matters.
Other school districts across #Missouri have already taken this step, proactively working to ensure families receive important and potentially life-saving information about secure firearm storage via the @besmartforkids.bsky.social program. Learn more here: besmartforkids.org
besmartforkids.org
For context Columbia volunteers have been advocating since 2022 for a secure storage resolution which would include the distribution of @besmartforkids.bsky.social safety information to CPS families. The Columbia Public Schools work session meeting is streaming online: cpsk12.org
www.cpsk12.org
As discussion gets underway on secure storage, CPS president Suzette Waters describes how this work was undertaken in August 2023. She and CPS staff worked from that time on communication with families. April Ferrao speaks to agree: this message needs to get out there and we agreed to it then. These are *basic* safety measures that are under discussion, April Ferrao says. Waters introduces the history of collaboration on one option--with Columbia Police, who contributed to a PSA project. A draft script is in hand, says Michelle Baumstark. The city has been involved, and would also be involved after it's produced in airing a PSA that is produced. The original script was many minutes long, Baumstark reports. Current drafts would be briefer (30 seconds or less) to fit in available broadcast blocks of time. We do not have an active agreement with broadcasters to air PSAs, Baumstark explains. Local broadcasters would need to be contacted to schedule in available spots. Paul Harper speaks in favor of the option for a secure storage resolution by the board. Blake Willoughby criticizes the effort to discuss secure storage today. He wants to talk more. He cites legal issues he could imagine the district would face. John Lyman reminds the board that the resolution draft language is a model--to be adapted to CPS's particular situation. Board member Paul Harper asked to see the resolution draft--what this meeting represents is the discussion. It does not mean it puts the resolution on the next meeting agenda. He will look closely, he confirms, because we need to move forward and have something concrete on an agenda. John Lyman says doing a PSA may be problematic because not all families even watch broadcast tv anymore. The reach of a PSA is limited. There is no need to reinvent the wheel, he says, in citing @besmartforkids.bsky.social as a national program sharing secure storage. Blake Willoughby says that doing a resolution involves having research that safe (secure) gun storage and these practices have impacts that can be shown. The barrier for him seems to be that parents maybe seen to be liable if a child accesses a firearm after signing off on messages from CPS. April Ferrao reminds the board that the resolution would be a starting point for work on secure storage messaging. Jeanne Snodgrass is in favor, saying there is room to do more work beyond a resolution, and partnership with other community entities--the city, CPS--would be relevant and important. Alvin Cobbins speaks for the need to do something; it has to have depth and begin with the acknowledgement that we live in a culture that allows for gun ownership. We should go beyond a simple announcement. It's a longterm process of education with the public, he says. Waters says she is hearing consensus that the board move forward with a PSA and also with the resolution. WIlloughby says that he wants to ensure that the public has access to any resolution language. Harper says it has to be first read and for discussion at an upcoming meeting. The intention is to direct the district--and more discussion is needed. Suzette Waters moves to end discussion and the board moves into closed session. The question of why--a motivation--for advancing this need for direction on secure storage was raised in the discussion by Willoughby.
The need for communication has seemed urgent to me for years and--for reasons that are not discussed today--the proposed PSA and other work hit a wall under our district's previous leadership. The need is clear: CPS should be working proactively and in partnership with city leaders.
If you're interested in following the discussion, it starts at the 1 hour 38 minute mark and is the final 18 minutes of this video, where the board president Waters is asking: What is the interest of the board in moving forward? reflect-cpstv-cpsk12-mo.cablecast.tv
reflect-cpstv-cpsk12-mo.cablecast.tv
@unroll.skywriter.blue unroll