Washington’s Office of Firearm Safety and Violence Prevention reports progress, recommendations, next steps in addressing gun violence in Washington communities OLYMPIA, WA — Firearm violence is a persistent health and safety threat for communities and families in Washington state, where a person is killed with a gun every 12 hours (The State of Gun violence in Washington – 2020). These deaths and injuries are preventable. One year into its work…
Tag Archives: violence prevention
Senate Bill 5395, passed by the legislature and Washington voters in 2020, requires all public schools to provide comprehensive sexual health education by the 2022-23 school year. Instruction must be age-appropriate, medically and scientifically accurate, and inclusive of all students, using language and strategies that recognize all members of protected classes. Implementation requirements vary by grade. See OSPI’s website for additional information about the law’s requirements. The curricula must include…
Office will focus on community gun violence disproportionately impacting communities of color Shalisa Hayes is a mother with a mission. In August 2011, she experienced the deepest pain a mother could feel — the loss of her young son who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Billy Ray Shirley III was 17 years old. He was shot and killed leaving a party in Tacoma, WA. For Hayes,…