School & Parish Safety and Security

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School Safety

Parish Safety

School Safety

Ohio School Safety Center

The Center is responsible for assisting local schools and first responders with preventing, preparing for, and responding to threats and acts of violence, including self-harm, through a holistic, solutions based approach to improving school safety.

LINK TO THE OHIO SCHOOL SAFETY CENTER >>>

Tip Line –  Report Concerns for Student Safety:  844-723-3764

The Safer Ohio School Tip Line  is a free safety resource available to all Ohio schools.   The tip line is an anonymous reporting system that accepts tips via call, text, webform, and mobile app 24 hours-a-day.  Anyone can download the Safer Ohio School Tip Line app or use the webform. 

LEARN MORE >>>

PHYSICAL SECURITY

  • Ten Best Practices for School Administers to improve safety.
    10 Best Practices>>>

    • Establishment of a Safety Team that meets quarterly

    • All drills (fire, safety, and shelter-in-place) conducted as required by law and by the Ohio Department of Education.

    • Visitors must sign in and wear a visitor badge while on premises 

    • Video cameras are used to monitor activity 

    • All volunteers must be compliant with Child Protection Decree requirements 

    • Chemicals on school grounds must have a Safety Data Sheet

    • Schools are to be in compliance with Ohio’s Department of Homeland Security expectations

    • School staff are to supervise the hallways, the cafeteria during lunch, outdoor recess, entrances and exits during arrival and dismissal

    • School Resource Officer to be on premises during school hours

    • Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) in all school buildings

    • Multiple staff members are to be CPR certified on a yearly basis 

    • Invite local first responders to visit in order to build relationships with students

    • Bus drivers and students are to annually review and practice evacuation safety drills

  • This document includes a list of options for low cost or no cost tactics that schools can consider as a part of their safety efforts. 
    Learn More>>>

  • Recommendations

    • Partner with local law enforcement

      • Have a patrol officer park outside Church during school mass

      • Work with them to have officers complete paperwork in Church parking lot

    • If students walk a long distance from school to Church ask that a law enforcement officer be present during the transition

    • Lock all Church doors except for the main entrance doors.  

    • Have a staff member present at the main entrance doors to act as a greeter – Learn more about “The Power of Hello”. 

    • Report anything suspicious

  • Used effectively, the right words can be a powerful tool. 
    LEARN MORE >>>

    Alert employees can spot suspicious activity and report it.   Employee vigilance through the Power of Hello.
    LEARN MORE >>>

LINKS

School Safety.org - Find resources to create a safer school. LEARN MORE >>>

Emergency Operation Plans – Schools

K-12 Schools

This guide provides recommendations in the development of plans not only to respond to an emergency, but also outlines how schools (K-12) can plan for preventing, protecting against, mitigating the impact of and recovering from these emergencies.

Institutions of Higher Education

This guide outlines principles of emergency management planning for institutions of higher education, provides a process for the development of emergency operations plans and describes the content with those plans.

Parish Safety

PHYSICAL SECURITY

  • Recommendations

    • Partner with local law enforcement

      • Have a patrol officer park outside Church during school mass

      • Work with them to have officers complete paperwork in Church parking lot

    • If students walk a long distance from school to Church ask that a law enforcement officer be present during the transition

    • Lock all Church doors except for the main entrance doors.

    • Have a staff member present at main entrance doors to act as a greeter.  Learn more about “The Power of Hello” 

    • Report anything suspicious

  • Six Steps to Enhance Security Against Targeted Violence  
    LEARN MORE >>>

  • Used effectively, the right words can be a powerful tool. 
    LEARN MORE >>>

    Alert employees can spot suspicious activity and report it.   Employee vigilance through the Power of Hello. 
    LEARN MORE >>>

  • Download this infographic which outlines low-to no-cost solutions to help implement suggested practices and highlights ways to identify funding for security improvements.  
    LEARN MORE >>>

  • The Nationwide Suspicious Activity Reporting (SAR) Initiative (NSI) – a collaborative effort by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and state, local law enforcement partners – was established to create a national capacity for gathering, documenting, processing, analyzing, and sharing SAR information. 
    LEARN MORE >>>

  • Review and/or download the attached document for an example of a Parish Safety Plan.  Make it your own.

    Sample Church Safety Plan

LINKS

Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency - Protecting Houses of Worship

Follow this link for a four-step process that can act as the building blocks for improving the security and safety of your Parish facilities.   LEARN MORE>>>

Emergency Operation Plans – Houses of Worship

Houses of Worship

Guide on emergency operations planning, discussing actions that may be taken before, during and after an incident to reduce the impact on property and loss of life. It encourages houses of worship to develop an emergency operations plan.

SAFETY CONTACTS:

Jacqueline Maume
Coordinator, Office of Child and Youth Protection
Jmaume@toledodiocese.org

Thomas Antonini
Director of Risk Management
tantonini@toledodiocese.org

Kelly Donaghy
Senior Director of Communications
kdonaghy@toledodiocese.org

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