U.S. Senator Robert C. Byrd delivers the opening remarks at the "Building Safe Schools and Healthy Communities" forum.  More than 375 people from across the state attended the forum at the West Virginia University College of Law.

Participants in the second panel, "Building Healthy Communities," included State Senator Lloyd Jackson (left), State Senator Jon Blair Hunter, Dr. Toni Goodykoontz, Dean Christine Martin, and the Reverend Matthew J. Watts.

Small-group discussions allowed participants, including Wheeling Park High School student Robert Heldreth (center), to examine a wide range of violence prevention initiatives already underway in West Virginia, while also focusing on other efforts that still need to be undertaken.

Small-group discussions also provided participants with the opportunity to voice their opinions on a variety of issues, including class size, peer mediation, funding for after-school programs, and the need for more counselors in middle and high schools.

U.S. Senator Robert C. Byrd and West Virginia University President David C. Hardesty, Jr., listen to one of the panelists discuss new ways to improve safe schools and to prevent incidents of youth violence in our communities.