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Gun-safety survey and PACE study prompt questions from residents and school official
Summary
Residents and a local school board director raised questions about a county-funded gun-safety survey and related PACE study findings; speakers debated survey timing, parental notification and whether children should be the survey's initial audience.
Multiple speakers at the Aug. 6 Monroe County commissioners meeting raised concerns and questions about a county gun-safety initiative tied to a PACE survey and related grant work.
Janet Doona of Polk Township described the program as arising from PACE survey results she said showed "1 in 10 children have had the idea of committing suicide," and said one proposed response was increased education and measures aimed at safe storage of firearms. Doona urged parents and guardians to be engaged and reminded that parents may opt children out of surveys when allowed.
Anna Lopez, a Pocono Mountain School District board director, said she was concerned about how new assessments and tax appeals intersect with school funding; she asked whether the appeals board membership was public and where it could be found. Lopez also expressed concern about the potential downstream impacts of assessments, tax appeals and survey-driven programs on school budgets.
Other residents and a commissioner debated whether the gun-safety effort should start with children and schools or with adult-focused outreach; some speakers urged more adult-directed engagement on safe storage. A county official said the gun-safety questions were sent last Tuesday and were reformatted to ensure readability before broader distribution.
Why it matters: The program involves survey data collection, school and community outreach and grant-supported programming. Speakers raised concerns about parental rights, data collection timing and whether children should be surveyed about suicidal ideation. The county did not take formal action on the survey at the meeting.
What the transcript records: Speakers criticized elements of the program's approach and asked for clarity on the survey format and the purpose of outreach. Commissioners and staff said they would reformat the survey and resend it in a different file format; no motion or vote was recorded on the program during the meeting.
Next step: County staff said the survey would be reformatted and reissued in the clarified format; staff also indicated further discussion of program scope could continue at future meetings.
