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Attorney General Mike DeWine
New School Safety
Efforts Announced
(COLUMBUS, Ohio)— Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine today announced
increased efforts by the Ohio Attorney General's Bureau of Criminal
Investigation (BCI) and Ohio Peace Officer Training Academy (OPOTA) to
aid educators and law enforcement in preparing for and reacting to a
potentially violent school incident.
"Schools should be safe, nurturing places for children to learn and
grow. Ensuring that students and teachers are protected during the
school day is an important responsibility for all Ohio communities,"
said Ohio Attorney General DeWine. "Although the Attorney General's
Office does not have oversight or authority over Ohio schools, I have
always believed that it is important to use the resources of this
office in any way we can to help Ohio's kids."
Emergency Management Plan Aerial Photographs
BCI currently has six drones that are used primarily to document crime
scenes and assist in missing persons cases. BCI is now offering the use
of the drones to take free aerial photographs of school buildings for
inclusion in school safety plans.
Ohio law requires that each school in Ohio have a school safety plan on
file for law enforcement to aid authorities in responding to an
emergency.
"When law enforcement responds to a school emergency, they must have as
much information about the school as possible," said Attorney General
DeWine. "Right now, school safety plans must include floor plans, but I
believe that aerial photos will be an effective tool to help law
enforcement plan for and respond to a violent incident."
The addition of aerial photographs to school safety plans is
encouraged, but not required for schools. Local law enforcement, in
coordination with school administrators, can request that BCI agents
take aerial photographs of schools in their area by calling
855-BCI-OHIO (224-6446). BCI will upload the photos to the Ohio Law
Enforcement Gateway (OHLEG) to be included with school safety plans.
“For our students and staff, we are always looking for ways to improve
our security and provide valuable information to our first responders
in case of an emergency situation,” said Lancaster City Schools
Superintendent Steve Wigton. “This free tool offered by Attorney
General DeWine and BCI is a great resource for not only us but also
schools around Ohio, as we partner with our local law enforcement
experts.”
Active Shooter Response: An Educator's Guide
Attorney General DeWine also released a video series for school
administrators and teachers entitled "Active Shooter Response: An
Educator's Guide."
The series of 25 videos are being produced by OPOTA and provide
guidance on how educators and law enforcement can work together to
prepare for and react to a violent school incident, such as a school
shooting. Ten of the 25 videos were published today and can be found at
www.OhioAttorneyGeneral.gov/SchoolSafety. The remaining 15 videos will
be released later this summer.
The videos are an update to the educator training offered by OPOTA
beginning in 2013. Nearly 15,000 educators were trained on how to
intervene with students who could pose a danger and how to respond in a
crisis situation. A total of 98 sessions were held across the state,
and training DVDs were also provided to every school district in Ohio.
"We updated this training and published it online so that teachers and
administrators can access the videos at a time that is convenient for
them," said Attorney General DeWine. "The short videos are meant to be
conversation starters for schools as they update their school safety
plans and prepare for the new school year."
The videos released today include: "Planning with Law Enforcement,"
"Coded Language," "Lockdown," "Lockout," "Shelter in Place,"
"Evacuation," "Calling 911," "Duties of Responding Officers,"
"Reunification," and "Recovery."
Additional videos to be released later this year discuss how to help
someone who has been injured, the requirements of school safety plans,
and things to consider when developing a plan.
An accompanying companion workbook provides summaries, definitions,
discussion points, and next steps for each video to aid presenters who
wish to share the videos with a group.
Because each district and school is different, schools should be
careful to ensure that their school safety plans consider the
information presented in the videos series and make choices that are
best for their school and community.
Use of the videos by school personnel is not required, but it is
encouraged. It is also suggested that law enforcement, parents, and
older students watch the videos as well.
Since taking office in 2011, Attorney General DeWine has taken several
measures to enhance school safety across the state. In addition to
training thousands of educators, Attorney General DeWine's Ohio Peace
Officer Training Academy has trained more than 14,000 law enforcement
officers on preparing for and responding to active shooter threats.
Attorney General DeWine also worked with schools across the state to
achieve greater compliance on school safety plans and convened a School
Safety Task Force that issueddozens of school safety recommendations.
The task force recognized that that mental health awareness was
essential for schools to identify and intervene with students who may
be at risk.
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