Safety At Lakewood Schools: Community Conversation On Thursday

LAKEWOOD, OH — Ever since the attack on Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida, which left 17 people dead, communities across the U.S. have been discussing safety at schools. Now, that conversation will come to Lakewood.

The school district, city and LakewoodAlive are bringing a community conversation on school safety to the community on Thursday. A panel that includes Mayor Mike Summers and Superintendent Jeff Patterson will discuss how Lakewood students are protected.

"It’s a topic that warrants immediate and serious discussion both across the country and within our own backyard: What can be done to ensure our children are safe at school?" asks the event's Facebook page.

Panelists will talk about what safety protocols and procedures are already in-place at the Lakewood Schools, as well as conversation on mental health and police protocol. The final 30 minutes of the event will be a question and answer session.

The event will be held at Lakewood High School, in the cafeteria, from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Other panelists include a pair of students from Lakewood High, a police investigator and a pediatric psychiatrist.

The topic of gun violence at schools has already struck a nerve in the Lakewood community. That's because Lakewood High students have been among the most active groups of student protesters in Northeast Ohio. The teenagers have led walk-outs to protest gun violence and some even took a trip to Washington, D.C. to advocate for stricter gun laws.

Learn more about this upcoming event by clicking here.

Photo from Rick Uldricks, Patch