Westerville City Schools was well represented at OSBA’s School Security and Safety Solutions Summit.
A number of Westerville City School District employees were among more than 800 participants at the School Security and Safety Solutions Summit, hosted by the Ohio School Board’s Association. The free, daylong series of keynote speakers and seminars was held September 12 at the Greater Columbus Convention Center.
Twenty-two statewide organizations collaborated to present the summit, which 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.
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.