COLUMBUS
— Ohio PTA joined with 21 other statewide organizations
to present the School Security and Safety Solutions Summit. The free daylong
series of keynote speakers and seminars was held Sept. 12 at the Greater
Columbus Convention Center.
The
summit featured two keynote speakers and a dozen presentations on school
security and safety issues. The event was designed for school board members and
administrators; teachers; school counselors, psychologists and support staff;
mental health professionals; parent leaders; and law enforcement and other
first responders. More than 800 people participated.
The
keynote speakers were Dr. Amy
Klinger, co-founder and director of the Educator’s School Safety
Network, and Alissa Parker,
co-founder of Safe and Sound Schools. Klinger is a nationally known expert in
school safety and crisis management with nearly 30 years of experience as an
educator and administrator. Parker is the mother of Emilie Parker, who was
killed in the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. She now works to help
school communities improve safety in honor of her daughter and the other 19
children and six teachers who were killed at Sandy Hook.
Organizers
developed the summit with the goal of focusing on mental health; safety
procedures and training; cooperative relationships between law enforcement and
school districts; and parental involvement. Discussions focused on a
multidisciplinary approach to school safety. Workshop topics included: “A
comprehensive approach to school safety,” “Crisis team response to a student
death,” “Engaging the community in your district’s safety initiatives,”
“After-school safety” and “Communicating in a crisis.”
Ohio PTA President Susan
Hans attended the Summit and stated, “The School Security and Safety Solutions
Summit was a day of networking and valuable learning sessions. I gained greater
insight into school-based mental health programs and came away with ideas on
how PTAs in Ohio can collaborate with schools to promote safe and secure
learning environments for all our students.”
The
following groups collaborated to develop and host the summit:
• Buckeye Association of School Administrators
• County Commissioners Association of Ohio
• National Alliance on Mental Illness Ohio
• Ohio Association for Career and Technical Education
• Ohio Association of Elementary School Administrators
• Ohio Association of Public School Employees
• Ohio Association of School Business Officials
• Ohio Association of Secondary School Administrators
• Ohio Department of Education
• Ohio Education Association
• Ohio Educational Service Center Association
• Ohio Federation of Teachers
• Ohio High School Athletic Association
• Ohio Homeland Security
• Ohio Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association
• Ohio Mental Health and Addiction Services
• Ohio PTA
• Ohio School Boards Association
• Ohio School Counselors Association
• Ohio School Psychologists Association
• Ohio School Public Relations Association
• Ohio School Resource Officers Association
