Colorado lawmakers study school violence, mental health

A Colorado panel looking at how to prevent school violence started work by hearing alarming data about rates of depression among teenage students.

Data presented to the panel Tuesday showed about 25 percent of middle and high school students reported being depressed for at least two weeks in 2013. That’s according to the anonymous Healthy Kids Colorado Survey handled by the state health department.

The committee will meet through the fall and can provide legislative ideas for next year. One area under consideration is expanding mental-health services.

Lawmakers formed the committee in response to the death of Claire Davis. She was shot by a fellow student in 2013 at Arapahoe High School.

State officials have been searching for solutions to student violence since the Columbine High School shootings in 1999.