Safer Schools Strategy Year One Update: 70 Schools Notified of Pending Firearm Cases, New Connections Made Across Youth-Serving Systems
June marks not only the end of the 2024 school year, but the conclusion of the first year of the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office’s Safer Schools Strategy — which seeks to prevent tragedies and support safer schools for all King County children. While overall juvenile crime referrals are at a low compared to the 1990s, 2000s, 2010s, King County Prosecuting Attorney Leesa Manion launched the Safer Schools Strategy in January of 2024 in part because violent crime among juveniles is indeed higher right now (as of June 2024) compared to 2019.
Over the course of this school year, 70 notifications have been made to school districts as part of the Safer Schools Strategy — notifying them of children with pending felonies involving firearms. Before King County Prosecutors created the Safer Schools Strategy, schools were not always aware when students were facing pending felony firearm charges, and might only find out at the time of conviction. The Safer Schools Strategy closes that gap in communication, which now allows schools to engage in safety planning and threat assessment at an earlier stage.
In addition, the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Juvenile Division team has been working to advance school safety by enhancing communication with local schools and school districts, and leveraging best practices from prosecutors around the state. Senior Deputy Prosecuting Attorney and Safer Schools Strategy Lead, Jamie Kvistad, has met with school superintendents, safety teams, and is participating in many different districtwide safety planning meetings. She is also interfacing with the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction focused on school safety and engagement.
In May of this year, members of the Juvenile Division participated in Mayor Bruce Harrell’s Community Public Safety Forum at Garfield High School. The event was an opportunity to engage directly with the Mayor’s Office, Seattle Public Schools, Seattle Police, and youth-serving organizations about the shared priority of keeping communities and our schools safe.
The Chief of the Juvenile Division, Jimmy Hung, also participated in a Renton Community Safety forum in June hosted by the Renton Police Department and the City of Renton. Other panel participants included Renton Police Chief Jon Schuldt, King County Superior Court Judge & Chief of Juvenile Court Veronica Galván, Renton School District Communications Director Randy Matheson, and Project Be Free Executive Director Katya Wojcik.
In response to current challenges of chronic absenteeism, firearm availability, and social media usage, the Juvenile Division is improving communications among system partners and working to reduce information silos; the team is also working closely with law enforcement to staff cases, review warrants, offer trainings and advise on legal issues. And the communication does not take a three-month break during the summer months.
Looking toward the beginning of the next school year in fall of 2024, the Juvenile Division team will continue working with schools, school districts, and statewide leaders to enhance school safety efforts.
Additional information on the safer schools strategy can be found here.
