SEATTLE — Seattle Public Schools is considering several safety changes on high school campuses next school year after a student was shot and killed earlier this month.
Superintendent Brent Jones wrote in a letter to families Tuesday that the district is considering changes that could include increasing security and neighborhood safety organization patrols, wearing identification badges on campus, requiring clear backpacks and closing campuses for lunch.
Jones said he would be in conversation with leaders throughout the summer about what school communities need. He hopes the changes will ensure well-being of students and staff.
“This violence has deeply affected us and re-injured our already grieving community still grappling with the impact of similar acts of gun violence,” Jones wrote in the letter. “We are committed to taking concrete steps to enhance the safety of our school environments.”
The potential changes come after Garfield High School student Amarr Murphy-Paine, 17, was shot and killed June 6. Murphy-Paine was trying to break up a fight between two people when the suspect fired multiple shots at him.
The shooting prompted calls for lasting change and students to be protected from gun violence.
Jones said Tuesday that over $2 million has been allocated for staff to improve school building exteriors and campus safety. The district also plans to expand plans to include gun violence prevention in high schools and increase mental health support for all students.
Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell previously said his office is taking a four-pronged approach to addressing gun violence in the neighborhood, including investments in people and organizations.
According to the mayor’s office, the city’s 2023-2024 budget funds $9.6 million to support youth mental health resources and school-based health centers. This includes a $4 million investment added by Harrell following a 2022 shooting at Ingraham High School.