LANSING — State Rep. Sara Cambensy (D-Marquette) will be presenting School Safety Tributes today at Marquette Area Public Schools at 3 p.m. in the Little Theater and at 9:45 a.m. on Monday, Jan. 7, at Ishpeming Middle and High School outside the school superintendent’s office. The tributes are to honor each panelist who participated in her School Safety Town Halls last spring, as well as their continuing work on the issue. A brief presentation and photo with participants will take place.
“I’m glad to be able to recognize both Marquette Area Public Schools and Ishpeming Public Schools, as well as a representative of the state’s OK2Say program and local law enforcement officials for participating in two forums with me last year on school safety,” said Cambensy. “These forums helped shift the conversation away from a debate about the merits of gun ownership to instead focus on what schools are doing to keep students safe. We addressed many topics, including the statewide helpline available to students and community members to anonymously report possible threats of violence in our schools and communities. Thanks to these forums and other efforts statewide, over $50 million was appropriated for more school counselors and law enforcement officials to support our schools. At a time when no one wanted to talk about this issue because of the deadlock over guns, these officials stood with me and agreed it was time to talk about the root of the problems and where we need more support in our schools to make a difference, and I applaud them for that.”
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