County pilot funds safe-storage program, board hears plans for anonymous high-school survey

Presenters for a state pilot program told the East Stroudsburg Area School District board on Monday that a new Community Partnership for Gun Safety grant will fund safe-storage equipment, training and a confidential survey of high-school students.

The presentation, led by a local project representative identified in the meeting as Mr. Petro and joined by Chief Bill Parish and Board President Mr. Jacobson, said the program is a Monroe County pilot funded through the state and being run in coordination with the county prosecutor's office and the sheriff's department.

Petro said the grant aims to reduce accidental shootings and suicide by focusing on three areas: safe storage of firearms, voluntary temporary storage when a household has someone with a mental-health crisis, and training and outreach. "The sheriff's department will store those weapons for you. If you ask, we're not going to take your guns from you," Petro told the board. He also said roughly two-thirds of Monroe County households have a legal firearm, a statistic he used to underline the program's reach. Chief Bill Parish described his role coordinating mental-health response and follow-up when storage is requested.

Why it matters: presenters said Monroe County has a higher-than-average rate of male suicide by handgun and that preventing access in moments of crisis or curiosity can prevent deaths and injuries. The program's organizers said they will not place curriculum in schools; instead, they plan voluntary community events in firehouses and other public spaces and will steer school-based participation toward optional, out-of-school activities.

What the program will do and how: Petro and Mr. Jacobson said the grant will provide safety locks and storage, fund public training events and pay for marketing and a website. Quantify Media, a local firm, has been contracted to handle branding and the forthcoming website; Petro said the site and other materials are several months away because the county started the project later than planned. The project team will also offer voluntary short-term weapon storage at the sheriff's office for households concerned about a resident's safety.

Survey details: the project will run two validated, anonymous surveys administered through SurveyMonkey, one for students and one for adults. Petro told the board the team intends to collect high-school responses only and estimated each survey will take approximately 15 minutes. He provided sample items the survey will use, including statements to be rated "strongly agree" to "strongly disagree," such as "People would look up to me if I had a gun" and "I'd feel nervous around someone with a gun." Board members asked whether younger grades would be included; Petro said the team intentionally planned to limit the initial survey to high-school students to avoid controversy and parental pushback that might accompany younger grades.

Community role and next steps: the presenters invited local organizations to host classes and said interested groups should call the project team; the prosecutor's office will be the administrative contact for email and formal inquiries once the website launches. Petro said the team will coordinate free storage on request and emphasized the voluntary nature of the program. No board action was requested at the meeting; the board discussed the presentation and offered support.

Ending: Board members responded with appreciation for the mental-health and storage emphasis and asked the team to return with implementation details when the survey instrument and outreach calendar are available.