COLUMBUS – Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine today released a copy of the guidelines that his School Safety Task Force created to help Ohio schools comply with the requirements to submit building plans and a school safety plan to his office.
"After the Chardon shootings earlier this year, we put together a School Safety Task Force to further study the issue and come up with practical ideas to help schools. One of the ideas that came from the task force was creating a set of guidelines that can be used to help schools who may not know what information to submit," said Attorney General Mike DeWine.
A copy of the guidelines can be found here.
The Attorney General's School Safety Task Force is made up of educators, school associations and local law enforcement and first responders. The guidelines created by the Task Force are not mandatory, but can serve as a template for schools to create or update their plans.
"Having these school safety plans and building plans electronically available to first responders is a critical tool for us when we are called to respond to incidents at our schools," said Obetz Police Chief Kenneth R. Hinkle, a member of the Attorney General's School Safety Task Force, and President of the Ohio Chiefs of Police. "I would encourage schools to take a look at these guidelines as they formulate and update their plans. The information they provide can be lifesaving."
Ohio Revised Code § 3313.536 requires the board of education of each city, exempted village, and local school district and the governing authority of each chartered nonpublic school to file a comprehensive school safety plan and floor plan for each school building under the board's or governing authority's control. This information, once filed with the Ohio Attorney General's Office, will be made electronically available to law enforcement personnel in the event of an emergency.
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Documents
School Safety Plan Recommended Guidelines (PDF)
Media Contacts
Dan Tierney: 614-466-3840
Lisa Hackley: 614-466-3840