UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — WPSU-FM will air special programming each day from March 18-22 aimed at bringing together central Pennsylvanians to discuss their differing perspectives on how to make schools safe. The stories will air during Morning Edition and All Things Considered on Monday through Thursday and during Take Note on Friday.
WPSU’s series on school safety will feature parents, students, teachers, superintendents, counselors and school resource officers from several communities, including St. Marys, Hollidaysburg, State College, Houtzdale and Altoona.
The series hopes to show the local impact of a national concern, according to WPSU-FM news director Emily Reddy.
“Everyone wants to keep kids safe, but the debate over how to do that has escalated in recent years,” Reddy said. “We took a look at what schools throughout central Pennsylvania are doing in terms of securing buildings, practicing intruder drills and arming guards, and we talked with students, parents and teachers about their reactions to these changes.”
Stories will air on WPSU-FM on:
- Monday, Tuesday, Thursday: 6:34 a.m., 7:51 a.m., 4:50 p.m.
- Wednesday: 7:45 a.m., 8:45 a.m., 4:50 p.m.
- Friday: noon
Topics to be discussed include how communities deal with the reality of school shooter drills and people’s relationships with guns; how mental health wellness can deter school violence; how students, teachers and administrators feel about living in a safety-focused world; and how school building construction has changed because of safety concerns.
Friday’s airing will feature a roundtable deliberation that includes some of the community members from the stories. The conversation allows them the opportunity to speak to each other directly about school safety issues.
WPSU-FM is available at the following frequencies: 90.1 (Kane/northern Pennsylvania), 91.5 (State College/central Pennsylvania), 92.1 (DuBois), 100.9 (Bradford), 102.5 (Huntingdon), 104.7 (Clearfield) and 106.7 (Altoona).
The stories and deliberation also will be available on radio.wpsu.org.