Loveland Magazine

LOVELAND MAGAZINE

News and Events from the Loveland, Ohio Area

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Since 2004

Tag: school resource officer

  • Ohio School Safety Center announces keynote speakers for the 2023 Ohio School Safety Summit

    Ohio School Safety Center announces keynote speakers for the 2023 Ohio School Safety Summit

    Registration coming soon!

    Tuesday, July 25, 9 a.m. 

    Dr. Dewey Cornell, Professor at the University of Virginia and developer of the Comprehensive School Threat Assessment Guidelines, (CSTAG), will present on School Threat Assessment as a Safe Fair, and Effective Practice in Ohio Schools, which will describe how to implement best practices and resolve student threats, while maintaining a fair and equitable manner.

     

    Tuesday, July 25, 2 p.m.

    Dr. Amanda Nickerson, Professor and Director of the Alberti Center for Bullying Abuse Prevention at the University at Buffalo, the State University of New York, will speak about Bullying Prevention and Intervention, including solutions, strategies, and resources to promote a safe school climate.

     

    Wednesday, July 26, 9 a.m.

    Sgt. William Chapman, a member of the Newtown, Conn. police department, uses his experiences as a Sandy Hook first responder and School Resource Officer to help school districts and law enforcement to develop best practices and will present on Navigating the Unthinkable: A First Responder’s Perspective.

     

    Wednesday, July 26, 2:45 p.m.

    Dr. Scott Poland, Professor and Director of the Suicide and Violence Prevention Office at Nova Southeastern University, will discuss School Crisis and Liability, including issues involving obtaining parental consent, failure to notify parents, and legal consequences of inadequate threat assessments in schools.

     

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    CONTACT

    The MISSION of the Ohio School Safety Center (OSSC) is to support all Ohio schools and first responders in preventing, preparing for, and responding to threats and acts of violence, including self-harm, through a holistic, solutions-based approach to improving school safety. Using a cross-disciplinary approach, the OSSC will provide resources to schools to enhance their strategies for safety, security, and emergency plan development.

    Our goal is total commitment in supporting all schools in ensuring the safety of students, employees, and visitors through effective policies and procedures, training, and community and interagency involvement.

    There are four main components to our goal:

    • Prevention/Mitigation: Schools can take action to increase the safety and wellbeing of their staff and students. To create a safe and supportive learning environment, schools may institute policies, positive behavior intervention supports, and prevention programs to improve the culture and climate of their building.
    • Preparedness: School leaders should be equipped with all the vital resources, information, and expectations to create a comprehensive safety plan and response protocols for any emergency situation, including natural disasters, violent incidents, and terrorist acts – before, during, and after the event.
    • Response: Assisting schools with the development of their all-hazards response plan is a key element of our goal. Safety and well-being in an emergency depends on how prepared students and staff are and on how everyone responds to a crisis. By being able to act responsibly and safely, school administrators will be able to protect students, staff and facilities. Our office will strive towards ensuring updates on school safety regulations, directives, policy, and deadlines will be communicated on a regular basis so schools can revise and implement the most current criterion and respond accordingly.
    • Recovery: The primary objective of recovery is to provide a caring and supportive school environment so that staff and students can return to teaching and learning as quickly as possible. Creating a system of supports with community social service agencies and local first responders can reinforce the cycle of safety planning and restore the social, emotional and environmental needs of students and staff.
  • House bill would make voters choose safety measures in schools

    House bill would make voters choose safety measures in schools

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    BY: SUSAN TEBBEN – Ohio Capital Journal

    A bill that may be up for a vote soon in the Ohio House would put the decision of whether or not to have a school resource officer up to the voters in each school district.

    House Bill 501 seeks to change Ohio law that the sponsors of the bill say doesn’t define “school safety and security,” though it does include mental health services, safety training and safety personnel.

    School resource officers, which are typically certified law enforcement officers use through an agreement with the officer’s police or sheriff’s department, would be included in the “safety personnel” part of Ohio law, under the new bill.

    If passed, the bill would leave that school safety and security definition up for voters by authorizing school boards to levy property tax “for the specific purpose of providing for SRO services, as opposed to safety and security in general,” according to an analysis of the bill by the Legislative Service Commission.

    Municipalities and townships will also be able to levy property taxes “for the specific purpose of funding SRO services for school districts located within their territory” under the bill, according to the LSC.

    The bill had its third hearing in House Ways and Means Committee on Tuesday, with no testimony and not changes to the SRO part of the bill. Committee chair state Rep. Derrick Merrin said the bill may be voted on at the next committee meeting.

  • AG Yost Announces $10 Million in Grants for School Safety Initiatives

    AG Yost Announces $10 Million in Grants for School Safety Initiatives

    Columbus, Ohio – Ohio’s schools can now apply for their share of $10 million in school safety grants awarded by Attorney General Dave Yost’s office for the 2019-20 school year.

    All public schools, chartered nonpublic school and schools operated by county boards of developmental disabilities are eligible to receive either $2,500 or $4.49 per student, whichever amount is greater.

    “Our kids learn and grow best in an environment free from fear and violence,” Yost said. “These grants will help bring that goal closer to reality.”

    Funding for the grants comes from dollars that legislators set aside for school safety in House Bill 166. The law gives school leaders flexibility to decide how the grant funds can best benefit school safety and security efforts. These efforts may include:

    • The support of school resource officer certification training;
    • Any type of active shooter and school safety training or equipment;
    • All grade level type educational resources;
    • Training to identify and assist students with mental health issues;
    • School supplies or equipment related to school safety or for implementing the school’s safety plan;
    • Any other training related to school safety.

    The attorney general’s office notified superintendents today of their eligibility and provided instructions for accessing the funds. All applications are due by Dec. 13.

  • Police Officer Angela Smallwood to serve as SRO at Loveland City Schools

    Police Officer Angela Smallwood to serve as SRO at Loveland City Schools

    Loveland, Ohio – Police Officer Angela Smallwood has been assigned the official role of School Resource Officer (SRO) at the Loveland City School District. Smallwood, who remains an employee of the Loveland Police Department, will serve full-time as SRO on the Loveland Middle School/Intermediate School campus.

    “We are very excited to have Officer Smallwood join us, and it adds yet another level of protection in our overall district safety plan,” said District Superintendent Dr. Amy Crouse. “We are grateful for the ongoing and deepening relationship with the police department, which not only allowed us to add Officer Smallwood this year, but also SRO Jesse Moore to Loveland High School last year. This is a big win for all students and staff at the Loveland City School District.”

    Officer Smallwood came to Loveland in 2006 and is certified in bike patrol and as a field training officer.

  • Dr. Crouse on safety updates by Loveland City School District

    Dr. Crouse on safety updates by Loveland City School District

    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.

    Officer Jesse Moore is now a full-time, on-site school resource officer (SRO) at Loveland High School.

    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

      Loveland chiropractor Douglas Portmann, DC at Wards Corner Chiropractic & Sports Rehab is one of the best chiropractors in the Loveland area,

  • Loveland School District Financial Update

    Loveland School District Financial Update

    Terrah Floyd is the Interim Treasurer & CFO of the Loveland City School District

    By Terrah Floyd,

    Loveland’s recent update to the district’s financial projections show that the district remains committed to keeping the promises made from the last levy – to make the last levy last through 2018 through conservative fiscal management while maintaining excellent educational opportunities for the students we serve. The district’s forecast, called the five-year financial forecast, was approved by the Board at the April 17 Business Meeting. The five-year financial forecast is a tool that aligns our income and expenses to our district’s current and future goals with respect to academics, operations and facilities. There are some updates to note.

    The district is investing in additional school building safety and security updates. These are needed in order to keep pace with the current safety and security needs and to reflect the changing times.

    First, the forecast shows that the district is investing in additional school building safety and security updates. These are needed in order to keep pace with the current safety and security needs and to reflect the changing times. They include placing fire-code approved locks on interior doors of our buildings, and plan for increased school resource officer presence.

    Plans include placing fire-code approved locks on interior doors of our buildings, and plan for increased school resource officer presence.

    The district is engaging in a Master Planning process with the community. This is an investment, and it is critical to the long-term planning and operations of the district. Aging buildings bring significant costs, and in order to help minimize these for the future we are working now to make sure that we are deliberate about our next steps.

    In fact, we will be able to stretch it a bit longer, and anticipate that an operating levy will be needed in 2019.

    Loveland continues to stretch every dollar and to wisely plan for the future. Our Board of Education kept the promise of making the last levy last through 2018. In fact, we will be able to stretch it a bit longer, and anticipate that an operating levy will be needed in 2019. Operating levies fund the day-to-day operations of our schools like staff, programs, textbooks and supplies.

    To provide you with relevant history, the Loveland City School District passed a 5.6 mill operating levy in May of 2014; passage of the levy provided the district the opportunity to invest in and enrich the excellent education we provide by enhancing the classroom experience for the 4,800 students we serve. None of these investments could have happened without your support, and – as always – we offer a sincere thank you to those who believed in our mission and continue to support our district.