Tuesday, June 15, 1999
Lt. governor talks school safety
Visits teachers at XU seminar
BY BERNIE MIXON
The Cincinnati Enquirer
SHARONVILLE — On the same day two students killed 13 people in Littleton, Colo., Ohio legislators voted to pass Senate Bill 1, also called the safe schools bill.
The bill toughens penalties for crimes committed on school property and requires schools to have safety plans. Lt. Gov. Maureen O'Connor told educators it's a first step to make schools safe.
Ms. O'Connor spoke Monday during the first day of a weeklong safe schools workshop for teachers and school administrators.
“Kids can't learn and teachers can't teach unless they are in a safe environment,” Ms. O'Connor told a packed room of educators.
This is the fifth year Xavier University has sponsored the safe schools workshop. It's designed to help prevent school crises and help educators make the right decision when faced with one.
“This workshop makes you think,” said Roger Effron, a visiting professor of education at Xavier University who directs the workshop with Edgewood Police Chief Steve Vollmar.
“Educators have no training in this area. Some of these schools are like small cities. The possibilities are amazing,” said Mr. Effron, a former Cincinnati public school principal.
Through the week, more than 60 participants will be exposed to such topics as gangs, workplace violence, hazardous materials and a “SWAT” hostage simulation.
Kim Shoemaker, a teacher at North College Hill Middle School/High School said Senate Bill 1 “will really be a tool for us. We get a lot of students who were conduct problems.”
Ms. Shoemaker likes the provision in the bill that would allow schools to expel students who commit an act that results in serious physical harm to people or property.
But state initiatives are just one of the pieces to the safe school puzzle.
Melissa Knock, a fifth-grade teacher at Elizabethtown Elementary School in the Southwest district, said parental and community involvement are key. “I think a lot of people think it can't happen at their school,” she said.
Kathy Gerth, a seventh- and eighth-grade science teacher at Dater Junior High in CPS, said she thinks her school is safe. Nonetheless, Ms. Gerth said it was important to attend the conference to learn about reacting to a crisis.
“Every time there is a school shooting, my kids ask "What would you do?'” she said.
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