Durham Public Schools holds ‘Safe Minds, Safe Schools’ summit; students urge more mental‑health staff and anti‑bullying action

Durham Public Schools convened a Safe Minds, Safe Schools summit where Superintendent Dr. Anthony Lewis, safety and student‑support staff, law enforcement and a panel of students discussed steps the district is taking to protect students and where families and officials say more work is needed.

At the start of the summit, Superintendent Dr. Anthony Lewis framed the conversation broadly: “when we're talking about safety, we're talking about the physical safety of our buildings. We're also talking about the social and emotional and mental health safety of all of our scholars,” he said, adding that safety is “not just a policy. It's a promise.” The summit followed a February security breach at one Durham high school that Lewis cited as a reason for renewed attention to safety.

District safety officials described already‑deployed measures. Eva Howard, executive director of safety and security and emergency management, said DPS uses secure vestibules (visitors must check in at the main office), security cameras, restricted zones and on‑site personnel, including school resource officers embedded in middle and high schools. Howard said each DPS school has a crisis response plan “that is reviewed and updated annually” and that the district’s standard response protocols are aligned with the national model. The district also operates two anonymous tip systems — the DPS Motorola TexaTIP system and the Sandy Hook “Say Something” portal — which Howard said are monitored 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Student support leaders outlined social and mental‑health resources. Laverne Maddox Perry, senior executive director for student support services, and Tamika Ward Satterfield, director of student wellness and advocacy, described the district’s social‑emotional learning (SEL) programming and school‑based mental‑health staffing. Ward Satterfield said DPS is implementing research‑based SEL curricula across schools and plans to reduce from five curricula this year to three next year — Rethink Education, Character Strong and Move This World — to “streamline our ability to provide service” and maintain quality. The district reported employing 42 school social workers and 15 professional school counselors and maintaining co‑located mental‑health clinicians from community agencies such as AYA Center and Youth Extensions. The Center for Child and Family Health at Duke University was cited as a training partner for trauma‑informed approaches and a structured psychotherapy model for adolescents.

A student panel was the summit’s central listening component. Students from multiple Durham high schools described the safety concerns they experience and offered priorities for change. Common themes included bullying and cyberbullying, the safety impacts of school location and neighborhood crime, the psychological effects of school labeling, and limited access to trusted counselors.

• Okikio Ajayi, an 11th‑grade student at Durham School of the Arts, said the downtown campus exposes students to heavy traffic and “concerns about crime entering the campus because the campus isn't closed.”

• Kayla Scales McCoy, a 12th‑grade student at Lakeview, said Lakeview students face stigma and stereotyping that fuels conflict and harms students’ mental health: “Most of the kids at Lakeview, it's not really physical . . . it's more psychological.”

• Several students said rumors and social‑media drama spread quickly and can make targeted students feel isolated, anxious or afraid to attend school. One student described cyberbullying as persistent and “ingrain[ing] it in your mind.”

Students called for concrete changes: more accessible, confidential mental‑health supports; additional counselors; stronger community outreach to connect families with resources; consistent and private ways to report concerns (including anonymous online options); and activities that build relationships across student groups. A number of students also asked for stricter control of visitors and for metal detectors to be considered beyond athletic events to reduce unauthorized weapons entry — a request district staff did not present as a current district policy during the program.

Officials and law‑enforcement partners who spoke at the summit echoed the district’s call for community involvement. Durham County Sheriff Birkhead told the audience, “The only thing missing is you . . . we have to reach the community,” and encouraged attendees to bring the safety message to neighborhoods. Mayor Leonardo Williams told the audience, “We need to shut up and listen,” when asked to react to the students’ remarks. Chief Patrice Andrews of the Durham Police Department said to students, “we see you, we hear you, and we will do better by you.”

The district invited audience feedback via a QR survey, which Superintendent Lewis said the administration will review and use to inform next steps. Lewis closed by saying the summit is “just the beginning of conversations” and that the district will “respond to what we heard tonight.”

The summit presented a mix of operational details — cameras, vestibules, SROs, annual crisis‑plan review and two anonymous tip systems — alongside students’ accounts focusing on mental‑health access, cyberbullying and stigma. School and city officials emphasized partnership with law enforcement and community agencies; students urged more counselors, safer campus access and programs that build relationship‑based prevention.