Virginia's first Youth Crisis Receiving Center opens in Henrico; bill honoring Lucia Bremer passed by General Assembly
Happy International Women’s Day! Henrico County opened the state’s first Youth Crisis Receiving Center, which is open to all youth ages 7-17 in the region who need immediate mental health resources. A gun storage bill worked on by the parents of Henrico teenager Lucia Bremer, who was shot and killed by another student in 2021, passed the General Assembly.
Henrico firefighters have visited 35 elementary schools in the county to teacher young students about fire safety. Henrico Schools will launch a new teacher apprenticeship program aimed to provide more full-time staff for the county’s “hard-to-staff” schools.
A 'safe haven' for youth in crisis
When children or teens experience a mental health crisis, often the first place they go is a crowded hospital emergency room, where they wait hours until receiving care. Now, Henrico will have a space dedicated for youngsters who need immediate mental health services.
The Youth Crisis Receiving Center opened Feb. 29 with a ribbon-cutting held by Henrico County officials and leaders from St. Joseph’s Villa, a children’s nonprofit that provides health services and other supports.
The facility will have counselors, therapists, and registered nurses on site to conduct assessments, meet with family members, and determine next steps in care. Children ages 7 to 17 in the Central Virginia region can receive services.
Gun storage bill passes
In 2021, 13-year-old Lucia Bremer of Henrico County was shot and killed by a 14-year-old with his legal guardian’s gun. Her parents have been advocating for legislation to prevent a death like Lucia’s from happening again.
Their efforts are becoming a reality.
The Virginia General Assembly passed a bill, SB 44, on Feb. 21 that would create a class 5 felony penalty of child neglect for adults who allow a child to possess a firearm after being notified that the child poses a threat of violence.
'It’s more than 'Stop, drop and roll''
At Highland Springs Elementary March 7, Gus Tyson, a firefighter with the Henrico County Division of Fire, is suited up in full gear – coat, boots, mask, helmet, and all – to show the young students that under all that heavy equipment is a familiar face.
Taking off his mask, Tyson says, “It’s still me! I’m still firefighter Gus.”
Just this past year, Henrico Fire expanded its elementary school program from just first through fourth graders to all kindergartners through fifth-graders at every Henrico County Public School. The goal was not just to teach more students about fire safety but also to forge connections and show the youngsters that they can trust firefighters in cases of emergency, said firefighter and elementary fire safety instructor Jasmine Wall.
New teachers for 'hard-to-staff' schools
Henrico Schools will launch a “Grow Your Own” teacher apprenticeship program next school year, aiming to provide more full-time teachers for the division’s “hard-to-staff” schools.
The Virginia Department of Education announced in February that it would contribute $1.52 million in grants to support teacher apprenticeship programs in 24 different school divisions for the 2024-2025 school year, funding a total of 165 teacher apprentices to help reduce the state’s teacher shortages.
By covering tuition for teacher candidates in the programs, the VDOE and the partnering school divisions hope to generate a bigger local pool of qualified teachers by eliminating the financial barrier of degree costs.
Photos of the week
Henrico firefighter Gus Tyson and his son, who is a third-grader at Highland Springs Elementary
Henrico high schoolers presenting at Student Government Day
Students at Deep Run High’s Culture Day event
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Henrico Citizen earns national grant to cover nonprofits serving refugees, immigrants in Henrico
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