Mayor Harrell may have come around on the Youth Violence Prevention Initiative he helped defund during his time on Seattle City Council.
In 2020, guns became the leading cause of death for US children and teens for the first time in history, and Seattle’s high school students are begging for more investment as gun violence continues to negatively impact their safety and education.
“We never thought gun violence would come all the way to Seattle,” Franklin High School junior Natalya McConnell said. “It is so scary to all of a sudden realize you could be the next person dead.”
In the latest incident, Garfield and Nova High Schools, located in the Central District, ended early on June 1 and switched to remote learning for June 2, remaining closed through the weekend. The Superintendent of Seattle Public Schools (SPS), Dr. Brent Jones, confirmed the closure was due to information received from credible sources of a threat of gun violence planned for after dismissal near the Garfield and Nova school campuses. This closure occurred after three incidents of gun violence near the school in the preceding two weeks.
This continues a trend of gun violence impacting Seattle area schools, including the closure of Franklin High School in December of 2021 and the fatal shooting of student Ebenezer Haile at Ingraham High School last fall. In response, city leaders announced a new $4.5 million Student Mental Health Supports pilot. Five SPS schools received $125,000 this year, and the rest of the money will be dispersed over the next two school years, with additional schools to be added; Garfield and Nova High Schools aren’t currently on that list.
