EPHRATA — The Ephrata School District, in collaboration with local law enforcement and the North Central Educational Service District, will host a town hall meeting titled "Understanding Youth Gangs" today from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Ephrata High School Performing Arts Center.  

This free event aims to engage community members in discussions about gang activity affecting Ephrata and the surrounding areas. 

“At a minimum, we believe we're still on the front side of this, and so we're really trying to be very proactive in recognizing and understanding for our district to be positioned as well as we want to be,” Ephrata School District Superintendent Ken Murray said. “It really needs to be a collaborative effort between not only law enforcement, but also the school district (and) families. The goal is to increase awareness so that we can stay ahead of this to the best of our ability.” 

The evening will feature a presentation by the North Central Educational Service District, detailing gang types, observable behaviors and preventive strategies. Following the presentation, a Q&A session with representatives from the Ephrata School District and local law enforcement will facilitate dialogue among attendees. 

“At the end of the day, if we can reduce some of the gang behaviors and some of the associated risks that it presents to our youth, then that's a win,” Murray said.