School’s out for the summer, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t work to be done.
The diocesan Office of Catholic Education presented its second daylong Safety Day June 8 at Holy Name High School in Parma Heights. Attendees heard presentations from trained safety professionals to help ensure that schools throughout the Diocese of Cleveland can build a safe environment. The program also met requirements for a professional development day.
Frank O’Linn, diocesan superintendent of schools, credited Joanie Klemens, OCE director of government programs, and Dolores Bruno, OCE operations coordinator, with organizing Safety Day.
(See photo gallery above.)
Presenters were Katie Collins from the Ohio School Safety Center; Todd DeKatch, diocesan senior director of safety and investigations; attorney Kelly Dumovic, diocesan associate general counsel; Wade Gilcher, Cleveland Corporate Protection Services; Tim Higgins, senior director of school security for Saint Ignatius High School; Vic Ortiz, Ohio School Safety Center; and Jim Powers, a retired fire chief, safety and reunification expert from St. Ambrose Parish.
Sessions included:
- Threat assessments
- The importance of the emergency operating plan
- Developing quality emergency management tests
- The importance of a robust reunification plan
- After-hours safety (CYO, PSR and parish activities)
- School secretaries – the first line of defense.
About 160 people from 45 schools and two parishes took advantage of the program. It was recommended for school leaders, safety teams, front-and parish offices and others committed to school safety and excellence, Klemens and Bruno said.
Powers stressed the importance of having a reunification plan in place in case of an emergency that would require moving students from the building to a safe location. “It’s not necessary to reinvent the wheel,” he said, explaining that some places, including St. Ambrose, which has a large campus, have many resources that can be shared and adapted at other locations. There was a drawing for four reunification kits at the end of the day.
“You’re not alone in school safety,” DeKatch told the group. He reminded attendees of the importance of threat assessments and said training is available. Most threats come from within a school, he said, encouraging everyone to be alert and watch for “observable behavior” that could signal a problem.
DeKatch said he is available to present safety programs at parishes and schools, noting the diocese is trying to be proactive in providing the safest environment possible. He began his new position last week and has an ambitious plan in place to visit every school.