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Wichita County proclaims February 2025 Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month
Summary
The commissioners presented a proclamation recognizing February 2025 as Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month and invited local prevention partners to speak about educational work in schools.
At the start of the Feb. 4 meeting, the Wichita County Commissioners Court presented a proclamation designating February 2025 as Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month and invited local prevention partners to explain outreach and training efforts.
The proclamation, introduced by the presiding judge, drew on national prevalence figures cited in the presentation and urged community awareness and education. County commissioners presented the proclamation to Kyla, a victim services coordinator and community trainer with First Step (Wichita Falls), and Samantha, a violence-prevention coordinator with the Texas Council on Family Violence.
Why it matters: County recognition is intended to raise awareness of teen dating violence and to highlight local educational and prevention activities in schools and youth programs.
What presenters said
- Kyla, identified in the meeting as the First Step victim-services coordinator and community trainer, said she visits local middle and high schools to teach young people how to recognize healthy and unhealthy relationship behaviors and to provide prevention and intervention resources.
- Samantha, identified as a violence-prevention coordinator with the Texas Council on Family Violence (the state domestic-violence coalition), said the council supports prevention and awareness efforts across Texas.
The proclamation text included a national statistic referenced in the presentation that "1 in 3 teens in the U.S. experience physical, sexual or emotional abuse by a dating partner before reaching adulthood." Court members thanked First Step and the Texas Council on Family Violence for their local work; the meeting also noted that Kyla had been recognized earlier that day with a prevention-advocate award covering a multi-county region.
No formal funding or new policy was attached to the proclamation; it serves as a public recognition and a call for community education and outreach.
The court took no separate vote on the proclamation beyond the presentation and photo opportunity recorded in the minutes.
