Pleasant Grove mayor urges community support after student death, directs residents to official reporting line

Pleasant Grove — Mayor Yolanda Lawson told the City Council on Jan. 12 that Pleasant Grove High School lost a senior, identified in the meeting as Brandon McNeel Campbell, and urged residents to keep the family and the school community in their prayers.

Lawson said the incident occurred in Birmingham, that first responders were on scene, and that the Jefferson County Board of Education arranged counseling for students and staff. She described the family’s recent losses and asked the community to ‘‘surround those that are hurting.’’

The mayor also announced a change in how residents should report incidents. "Placing a post on Facebook, regardless of what you say, it does not mean that it has been properly reported," Lawson said, adding that residents should contact the mayor's office at 205-744-1724 to submit official reports. She said the city will no longer accept Facebook posts as incident reports in order to streamline processes and ensure issues are routed properly.

The mayor thanked first responders for their response and said city officials had reached out to the family, speaking with the student’s godmother while seeking contact with the grandmother. She asked residents to be mindful of grieving students, faculty and staff and to offer simple signs of support.

What happens next: The mayor’s office will receive incident reports through the provided phone line; the council did not provide written policy language at the meeting and did not specify whether the change requires additional administrative action.