Ohio School Safety Month Kicks Off; School Safety Student Winner Announced

Ohio School Safety Month kicks off with the Ohio School Safety Center (OSSC) calling for all Ohioans to work together to focus on school safety.

“Everyone has a role to play in keeping our schools a safe place for students to learn and grow,” said Emily Torok, OSSC Executive Director. “Now that students and staff have settled in the routine of a new school year, October is a good time to re-focus our efforts to keep them safe from the time they step on the bus in the morning until they get home.”

“Safety Begins with Team Work” is the theme for this year’s Ohio School Safety Month.  It was created by Arabella George, a senior at Wapakoneta High School and Apollo Career Center in Auglaize County. 

“I was bullied as a kid for a bunch of little things. The kids that were supposed to be looking out for me, didn’t.  They watched me get picked on and let it slide,” said George.  This poster is a promise to everyone in my life that if I see something that is less than kosher that I will stand up and speak up about it. “

“If you see something, say something, and we will do something about it,” Torok said. “We want to encourage everyone to utilize the Safer Ohio School Tip Line, a free safety resource available to all Ohio schools that accepts anonymous tips via call, text, webform, and/or mobile app 24 hours-a-day.”

Tips submitted to 844-SaferOH (844-723-3764) are triaged and forwarded to local school officials, law enforcement agencies, and the OSSC for action and follow-up as needed.

National School Bus Safety Week

Held during the third full week of October each year, National School Bus Safety Week is a public education and awareness program for parents, students, teachers, motorists, school bus operators, school administrators, and other interested parties – to join forces and address the importance of school bus safety.

As part of this special week, the OSSC reminds schools of its free school bus safety training course “School Bus: Active Threat,” where the center’s  staff partners with local law enforcement to discuss and work through various active threats on school busses. Schools interested in inquiring about this free training should contact the center via email: OhioSchoolSafetyCenter@dps.ohio.gov or by calling (614) 644-2641.

School Bus Safety Week is also a good time to review the “Safe Streets Safe Schools” School Bus PSA videos announced earlier this year:

• High School Winner: Avon Lake High School (Lorain County)
• High School Runner-up: Berea-Midpark High School (Cuyahoga County)
• Best Collaboration: Highland High School (Medina County)
• Most Creative: Claymont City Schools (Tuscarawas County)
• School Spirit: Napoleon High School (Henry County)
• Middle School Winner: Charity Adams Earley Girls Academy, Dayton Public Schools (Montgomery County)

The OSSC, in conjunction with the Ohio Traffic Safety Office, vetted the entries and selected the best videos. These are great to play on the morning announcements and share with students.