by Dr. Amy Crouse,

Part of being ready for school means making sure buildings and staff are prepared for what the new year holds. Over the summer, the Loveland City School District, like many other districts in our area, took several measures to improve safety and security for students and staff.

In Loveland, these safety updates include improved rapid room number identification on all exterior windows to assist first responders. We have also equipped all classrooms with an additional locking device. We have implemented the Raptor visitor management system, an on-the-spot legal identification sign-in software for all visitors – including parents – to our buildings. Using a legal form of identification, the Raptor system checks the visitor’s name and date of birth against a national database of registered sex offenders, and ensures that such individuals do not enter the school campuses without our knowledge.

A well-informed staff and student body is our first step toward the goal of a safe and secure campus. As part of our safety education, the district implements a schedule for practice of the ALICE model (Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, Evacuate) for active shooter civilian response. The students at Loveland High School (LHS) have already attended an ALICE safety presentation this school year, focusing on the response in the event of a crisis situation. Several opportunities for follow-up presentations and training are scheduled for this year and will be accompanied by class discussions.

We have implemented the Raptor visitor management system, an on-the-spot legal identification sign-in software for all visitors – including parents – to our buildings. Using a legal form of identification, the Raptor system checks the visitor’s name and date of birth against a national database of registered sex offenders, and ensures that such individuals do not enter the school campuses without our knowledge.

In partnership with the Loveland Police, we are also very excited to have been afforded the opportunity to add Officer Jesse Moore as an on-site, full-time school resource officer (SRO) at LHS. In addition to being available for the overall safety for students, staff and visitors on the LHS campus, Officer Moore will provide educational programs for students in areas such as social media awareness, Fourth Amendment rights, and general laws and driving regulations. With a unique ability to build positive relationships, he will also play an important role as a mentor for our high school students. Mr.Barnes, a retired policer officer, will continue to serve Loveland Middle School and Loveland Intermediate School as SRO. Mr. Almond also returns to support the safety of students at LHS. We are grateful to have the support of the Loveland Police and know this positively impacts the experience our students have in our schools and community.

Mental health and safety are also high priorities at Loveland. The district has entered a partnership with the Cincinnati nonprofit Grant Us Hope to implement Hope Squad, a school-based, peer-to-peer suicide prevention program empowering students and staff with knowledge to identify at-risk behaviors for suicide, as well as encouraging peers to seek help from a trusted adult. Advisor training, general staff training and student ambassador identification/training in Loveland will be completed this fall, with an anticipated launch of Hope Squad in January of 2019.

I am immensely grateful for the implementation of these safety measures and for the ongoing assessments and long-term planning by the Loveland District Safety Committee. Our work is continuous to ensure that we always strive for the most trusted and integrated school safety technologies to keep our Tigers safe. Comprehensive facility upgrades will be needed before we can approach some aspects of safety and security in our buildings, and they will be addressed in the Loveland City School District facilities master planning process as it unfolds over the coming months. As always, my number one priority as superintendent of Loveland City Schools is to provide a safe and nurturing environment to prepare each student for tomorrow, today.

In Service to Our Tigers.

Dr. Amy Crouse is Loveland City School District Superintendent