U.S. Senator Robert C. Byrd, D-W.Va., and West Virginia University (WVU) President David C. Hardesty Jr. announced Tuesday that more than 250 West Virginia high school students have been selected as delegates to this weekend’s youth summit on school safety.

“These delegates offer perspectives from throughout West Virginia. They will bring experiences from rural and urban communities, from large schools and small. These students know the problems facing young people much better than an adult. They can speak directly to the causes of youth violence, and what solutions might best meet the challenge of curbing the violence that has, tragically, been repeated across the country,”Byrd said.

The Robert C. Byrd Youth Summit 2000 is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. on Saturday, April 8. The event will be held at West Virginia University and at seven other locations across the state. Students will be at sites in Beckley, Bluefield, Charleston, Keyser, Parkersburg, Shepherdstown and Wheeling will be linked to WVU through distance learning technology. There will be about 25 delegates attending each site, with the exception of Morgantown where about 70 students will attend due to larger electronic classroom facilities.

“These students have an important voice in the debate on school violence. Hearing their ideas and their experiences will provide valuable insight as educators, parents and lawmakers move forward with plans to improve the safety of our classrooms,”President Hardesty said.

Last August, Byrd and Hardesty hosted the forum,”Building Safe Schools and Healthy Communities: The West Virginia Response,”which was the first-ever statewide meeting to bring together teachers, law enforcement officials, religious leaders, judges, parents, media representatives and elected officials. Byrd believes that hearing directly from students fills an important gap in the national discussion on school safety.

“These delegates know the strengths and weaknesses of our schools and our communities, and which violence prevention initiatives are working and which are not. I look forward to hearing from these students at the Youth Summit, and to gaining their insights into the causes of, and possible solutions to, violent behavior by their peers in school and in the community,”Byrd said.

Information on Byrd’s school safety initiatives can be found on his Internet site athttp://byrd.senate.gov.