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Local physician urges board to adopt nonpartisan firearm injury-prevention curriculum
Summary
A physician and epidemiologist proposed a public-health, evidence-based firearms-injury prevention program to the board and offered to work with the district to bring it to students and the community.
A physician and epidemiologist, Dr. Gregory Engel, told the Peninsula School District board on July 15 he has developed a nonpartisan, evidence-based firearm injury-prevention program that he said has been presented to more than 5,000 students statewide and that he would like to bring to the district.
Dr. Engel, who identified himself as new to the Key Peninsula, said the program is public-health centered and aims to provide students with factual information about firearm injury risk and prevention. “We feel that instruction on firearm injury prevention is an important part of the health curriculum,” Engel said, adding that firearm-related injury is a leading cause of death in the relevant youth age group and that the program is intended to be “meticulously nonpartisan.”
Engel said his team, including medical students at the University of Washington, has found early evidence that the program is effective and that other states have begun presenting similar curricula. He told the board he has corresponded with Superintendent Barr and offered to provide materials and work with district staff to pilot the program. Engel said he would forward materials to the district for review.
The board did not take action during the meeting; members thanked Engel and indicated staff would be able to review materials and follow up if the district wished to consider pilot instruction or community information sessions.
