School Safety Month in Ohio Provides Opportunity to Share Information and Resources

One of the most important responsibilities of a school district is to provide a safe and secure educational environment where students and staff members can focus on learning. Forest Hills School District takes that responsibility incredibly seriously and has a wide-variety of plans, procedures and policies in place to ensure the overall safety of the school community.

House Bill 583 of the 134th General Assembly designated October as School Safety Month in Ohio, which FHSD uses as an opportunity to educate families and community members about the district’s general approach to safety. The month also serves as a reminder to the public about the community’s role in keeping Ohio schools a safe place for students to learn and grow.

This message is meant to provide a brief overview of some key components to FHSD’s approach to safety and preparations for emergency situations. Please keep an eye on foresthills.edu and district social media channels for additional updates throughout this month.

Emergency Plans

It is important to be prepared for different situations that could potentially take place at a school. FHSD has school-specific emergency plans at all buildings for scenarios like fires, threats, intruders and more. These are customized to each building and meet specific standards and criteria to receive state approval. These plans are regularly reviewed with emergency personnel, law enforcement and school administrators to be sure they are updated and FHSD is as prepared as possible for different events.

The FHSD Emergency Guide provides information about how the district might respond to significant emergency events. Since every situation is different, the guide is not meant to be an all-inclusive document, but it serves as a helpful tool to better understand how FHSD responds in the event of a crisis or emergency.

Communication

A crucial component to emergency communication is for students, families and staff members to share information with administrators or appropriate authorities. Everyone plays an important role in keeping the school buildings and community safe. “If you see something, say something,” is an important rule of thumb FHSD teaches students, and it is a good reminder for adults as well.

If you or your student feels the need to report an incident, please use the anonymous Safer Ohio School Tip Line by calling or texting 844-SaferOH (844-723-3764). Calls or texts to the tip line are answered by analysts within Ohio Homeland Security. If action is needed, the analysts immediately forward information to local school officials, law enforcement agencies and the Ohio School Safety Center (OSSC) to allow for action and follow up.

FHSD also understands the importance of keeping families informed during and after emergency events. If an emergency occurs while school is in session, the district’s first action is to make sure students and staff are safe and to engage local emergency officials to determine next steps, gather information and discuss what information can be released so as not to hinder any necessary police investigations. The district will then use appropriate methods of communication to inform families and community members; in the event of a crisis, parents should monitor phones, email, website, district social media channels or local media for information about the status of the event. One or many of these methods may be used to share information based on the situation and guidance from legal and emergency response officials.

As a reminder, families are able to opt-in for SMS alerts by texting “Yes” or “Y” to our short code of 67587. This can only be done from cell phone numbers that are assigned as official family contacts for FHSD students. This feature will only be used for critical or ongoing emergency situations and time-sensitive transportation updates.

School Resource Officers

The district added a second School Resource Officer in August 2023. These individuals are deputies with the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office that are assigned to work in FHSD schools and serve as the district’s designated law enforcement support. SROs rotate between different schools throughout the day and are able to provide immediate support or assistance as needed. They also lend their professional expertise to the district’s emergency response planning and provide crucial feedback during regular sessions to review and update those plans.

FHSD also has a very strong partnership with HCSO, and non-SRO deputies will often visit buildings, patrol school parking lots and offer other support throughout each day. So, it isn’t unusual to see multiple HCSO vehicles at any given school on a particular day. Regular coordination and planning with HCSO will improve the district’s ability to respond to a crisis or emergency situation and FHSD is deeply appreciative of this relationship. Learn more about the role of SROs and HCSO related to school safety in this video FHSD produced last year.

Other Safety Information

Each school has a designated safety team that meets multiple times throughout the year to review safety plans, organize training sessions for staff and discuss any topics that may need their attention. These teams provide valuable information and feedback to the district-wide core safety team, which is responsible for ensuring consistent standards are met across all schools and departments in these critical areas.

Forest Hills School District works with HCSO, Anderson Township Fire and Rescue, the Transportation Security Administration and other agencies to regularly review emergency procedures, coordinate safety drills and implement full-scale exercises, in accordance with state law. This story from WCPO showcases a full-scale exercise FHSD held in 2022 and gives you an idea of what is involved in this level of training.

In an effort to better support students after crisis situations, FHSD implements a Traumatic Event Crisis Intervention Plan. This is carefully designed to meet specific needs based on the actual crisis or emergency situation that may have taken place. FHSD understands it is important to offer resources to support the psychological and emotional safety of students and staff members after significant events.

Another small way the district works to support the emotional safety of students is through the FHSD Resource List. This is a compilation of services available in the community related to a wide-variety of topics that may impact a student’s mental, physical or emotional safety.

For additional information, please visit the safety webpage here. Check the district website throughout the month for news articles with more details on things like safety drills, SROs and more!