NILES — Listening to student feedback, communicating with local law enforcement and utilizing tools like Ok2Say were among the resounding messages for improving school safety during a crisis forum Wednesday night at Niles High School.

The forum, which was hosted by the Niles Community Schools District, was a response not just to the school shooting in Parkland, Florida which left 17 people dead, but a call by the community’s students and residents to start a conversation about how to better keep children safe within school walls.

Before the event, Niles Community Schools District administration and local law enforcement met in late February and reviewed the district’s response to crisis plans and provided feedback earlier this month.

More than 50 people attended the forum, where they heard from Congressman Fred Upton, local law enforcement across Berrien and Cass counties and superintendents from Brandywine, Buchanan and Niles school districts.

Four Niles High School students also made their voices heard. The students, ninth-graders Zoie Lytle, Hayden Beckwith, Marlie Holloway and 10th-grader Sydney Prillwitz, participated Wednesday or read statements to the crowd. 

“There is a growing epidemic striking our schools and nation as a whole,” Beckwith said. “With more school shootings on the rise, this is more than a violence issue.”

Beckwith referred to what he termed an “empathy crisis” and he said bullying, suicide and mental health awareness should be vital in addressing these school safety issues.

When Lytle addressed the crowd, she said she participated in the school walkout, which was part of the national March for Our Lives movement that saw students across the country leave their classrooms on March 14 to honor the victims of the Parkland shooting and spread a message about the need to change safety measures and gun laws.

“The topic of guns and gun reform has caused yet another division in our country, but this is not about guns,” Lytle said. “It’s about student safety.”

She asked the community to set aside their differences and focus on reviewing policies and procedures intended to keep school safe. She encouraged adults and youth to listen to one another when seeking to address these challenges.

Molly Brawley, the Niles High School principal, said she was proud to see students share their own insights. 

“If you are nervous about our future, you need to talk to our kids, because you will relax a little,” Brawley said. “They have a lot of good things to say.”

Students encouraged those who attended to sign a Belief Statement they created. The document stated that students intended to create a safe learning environment for others and called upon lawmakers to support their mission by providing the necessary funds to support “increased safety measures and increased counseling, including mental health screenings, treatment and any other necessary supports” for schools around the nation.

Another emphasis was on remaining vigilant of suspicious behavior and reporting it to local police or a resource like Ok2Say — an anonymous tip line where people can provide information via a downloaded phone application or online at michigan.gov/ok2say.

Angela Lick, a school resource officer with the Niles Police Department, asked parents to make sure that they were engaging with their children every day and also monitoring social media accounts and being aware of what platform their child uses.

Niles Community Schools Superintendent Dan Applegate said school administrators have been looking for ways to improve safety long before the Parkland tragedy.

He thanked residents who supported the 2015 bond, which approved $40 million of construction and renovation to schools across the district.

Many of those upgrades included updated safety and security features like the installation of cameras, more accessible classroom locks, updated sound systems and more. Brandywine and Buchanan school district representatives said they had installed similar safety features.

Educators also talked about fostering an environment where students feel safe and included. Parents were encouraged to try and get their child involved in after school activities or clubs where they feel included.

For his part, Upton told the crowd that he was working on some bipartisan legislation to try to assure schools and communities have tools for safety. About two weeks ago, he voted to advance the STOP School Violence Act. If it becomes law, $500 million in state-based grants could be available for improving school safety, including training students and staff to recognize early warning signs of violence.   

Following the meeting Wednesday night, students said they hoped their discussion spurred further action.

“It is definitely just the first step,” Holloway said. “Even though our voices have been heard, there is still a lot of actions that need to be taken to follow up.”

Beckwith agreed.

“We can talk and dream all we want here, but unless something actually happens this is nothing,” he said.