Pa. AG report tracks impact of gun violence on teen mental health – NBC10 Philadelphia

Pennsylvania Attorney General Michelle Henry released a report on the impact of gun violence on adolescent mental health across the state, aiming to help schools improve how they address these issues with the students.

On Tuesday, releasing the report titled TeenTALK, Henry explained how she spent time with students in four districts across the state — Philadelphia, McKeesport, Hazelton and Steelton-Highspire — to find out what issues are on students' minds. teenagers and how they feel that cases of gun violence have impacted their lives.

“Our children face the destruction caused by guns almost every day,” Henry said. “We need to do what we can to support them through their trauma and fear.”

She said her office wanted to launch this report at the end of the school year and in June, Gun Violence Awareness Month, to give schools time to read and review the report before learning how some conclusions could be applied. used in their neighborhoods.

“We hope that every school district in this great Commonwealth will see in this report something that they can add to, build upon and expand on what they are already doing,” she said.

She said that in her meetings with students in grades nine through 12, Henry learned that they were concerned about transparency about gun violence from school officials — particularly when incidents occur. produce – and that they hoped to improve conflict resolution and address fears of reprisals. in the event of armed violence.

“These were student-led discussions,” she said. “We sat in a circle and these students shared their fears and concerns with me.”

Some students spoke about their lived experiences of losing family members and other loved ones, and many expressed frustration at having to adjust to gun violence as an all-too-common phenomenon in their lives, Henry noted in a statement on the report.

In fact, so far this year, according to the city comptroller's office, 105 teenagers and others under the age of 18 have been victims of gun violence — 17 of those minors have died.

Henry said a recurring topic in ongoing discussions is that students who have experienced the trauma of gun violence cases in their own lives feel they need more time from school officials in order to deal with incidents.

“These students want and need time to process the trauma of gun violence they witness in their own lives,”

She said students identified three areas where schools should focus on improving: better communication between students and officials, more options for mental health services and more funding and resources for programs that can help address these issues, such as social-emotional learning and conflict resolution.

A full copy of the report is available here.