The Colorado Office of School Safety, which is an office of the Colorado Department of Public Safety (CDPS), is empowering both students and educators in Colorado to address school safety concerns.This is the eighth year the team is hosting Student Staff Summits in three locations across Colorado. The event, which is called 'Empowering Student Voices for Safe Schools!' is geared toward the following: discussions among students regarding spaces they feel safe how students consume and use popular social media the use of substances with emphasis on the risk of vapingThe keynote address, which is provided by Rise Above Colorado, aims to emphasize the normalization of safe behaviors and supportive relationships. It also aims to empower students to think critically about social media messaging. Students in the eighth through the 12th grade are invited to participate in teams of up to six students and one staff member. The event is structured so adults can do the following: learn from the youth on their campuses provide context improve programming present data and findings to their leadershipEach event will run from 9:45 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the following dates at the below locations. Click the links below to register: Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025 - La Junta (Otero College) Wednesday, Jan.  29 - Durango (Impact Career Innovation Center) Wednesday, Feb. 26 - Sterling (Northeastern Junior College)Lunch and snacks will be provided, and the events are free to educators and students. Now more than ever, student and school safety is of paramount importance in our state. We encourage students and educators to join us as we come together for invaluable discussions and actionable feedback that can be implemented immediately in schools following the findings of these learnings." The Office of School Safety has been formally leading the charge in school safety since 2008, and is steadfast in our mission of collaboratively assisting local schools and communities to create safe and positive learning environments for Colorado students from pre-k to higher education._______Watch KOAA News5 on your time, anytime with our free streaming app available for your Roku, FireTV, AppleTV and Android TV. Just search KOAA News5, download and start watching.