Tuesday was the inaugural meeting of a new school safety working group, created by Gov. Mike DeWine to prevent threats or acts of violence in schools.
More than 40 school administrators and advocacy group members convened at the new Ohio School Safety Center, within the Ohio Department of Public Safety in the Hilltop.
"I’m very excited," says group member Bradley Paramore, president of the Ohio School Psychologists Association. "I think it’s an opportunity to support an important issue for our students, one that I see come up quite a bit as a school psychologist."
Paramore says school shootings in the news weigh heavily on the school environment.
"It can breed anxiety within students as well as families," Paramore says. "And so I think this work can be beneficial to helping families feel secure. I think one of the biggest issues for a family is making sure their students are safe."
Paramore hopes the diverse group members will be able to come up with positive interventions that will improve school climates around the state.
"Putting positive interventions and supports in place where we can address issues that students are struggling with, or that they show up at school with can have a positive impact on schools and school performance," he says.
DeWine created the School Safety Center by executive order in August. It came as part of his 17-part plan to combat gun violence, released in the wake of the Dayton mass shooting.
