School-Based Prevention Emphasized in the Aftermath of Columbine

Ohio Resource Network, 513-556-3752; 1-800-788-7254
Web site: http://www.ebasedprevention.org/

The University of Cincinnati Center for Prevention Studies, housed in the College of Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services (CECH) – under the direction of Bradley Wilson, professor of health promotion and education – administers several grants focused on promoting healthy lifestyles and healthier communities.  Two of those Center programs are the Ohio Resource Network for Safe and Drug Free Communities (ORN) and the Ohio Safe Schools Center (OSSC). The Ohio Safe School Center is one of around 20 such centers across the United States.

Funded through UC by the Ohio Department of Education, the ORN supports administrators, teachers, parents, prevention professionals, faith leaders and other Ohioans in establishing safe, disciplined and drug-free schools and communities. ORN works in conjunction with the Ohio Safe Schools Center to provide information, training and research.

“The number-one issue that keeps coming up in calls through the Safe Schools Center is the bullying issue,” says Bonnie Hedrick, ORN director and director of education for the Center for Prevention Studies. “Whether it’s a text message or a fistfight in the hallway, bullying is the number-one problem that schools are challenged with today.”

Robert Canning, assistant director of the ORN and director of the Safe Schools Center, says State House Bill 276, passed in 2006, mandated that every school board adopt an anti-bullying policy for every school district. However, as a direct result of the Columbine tragedy, Canning says Ohio House Bill 422 was passed and requires the principal of each public and non-public school to annually conduct a school safety drill to instruct staff in procedures to follow in case of a lockdown. ORN staff at UC provide as many as 40 trainings a year at schools around Ohio to address these issues.

A key aspect of this education program for school officials and administrators focuses on school climate and on building day-to-day interactions with students, which helps ensure that students, staff and administrators all serve as caretakers for their school. “We emphasize the importance of building those connections, because if those issues are addressed, the training that I talk about may never need to be used in a real-life situation,” says Eric Hall, a former police officer and ORN/OSSC safety specialist who assists schools in preparing and testing their school safety programs.

“When I first go to visit a school, I’ll check out the cafeteria,” Hall says. “Which students are sitting alone? Do they sit by themselves regularly? Do the teachers monitoring the cafeteria stop by tables and talk with the students?”

Whether it’s a situation like Columbine, a terrorist attack (ORN staff have provided statewide workshops to prepare for a possible strike), or a chemical leak from a nearby plant that could impact the school, Hall says there are four components to emergency management:

Prevention – Creating and identifying policies. This includes identifying potential threats around the school, such as chemical plants, military plants or bases, or railway transportation. The state of Ohio encounters severe weather in the spring – does the school have a plan for a tornado strike? The ORN also provides consulting on adolescent stress management. The ORN encourages schools to communicate with parents, neighboring businesses and community leaders as well as emergency responders in developing plans.

Preparedness – Practicing emergency drills on a regular basis to ensure all staff and faculty are involved and updated on any changes to the plan.

Response – Including keeping track of students amid a chaotic event.

Recovery – A review of the response to the incident and what could be done better. The recovery aspect also includes building on community partnerships, working with organizations such as the Red Cross, mental health agencies and faith-based organizations.

ORN staff add that another dangerous trend that is growing among adolescents is abuse of prescription drugs. “Teens appear to consider prescription drug abuse as the ‘clean’ thing to do,” explains Hall. “Prescription drugs are easier to get than marijuana and there’s less stigma. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) recently reported that for the first time ever, prescription drugs have overtaken marijuana use for first-time drug users aged 12 and older,” says Hall.

“Teens often adopt dangerous behaviors to cope with their stress,” Hedrick says. “Two of those behaviors are using alcohol and self-mutilation (cutting). The mission of the Center for Prevention Studies is to continue and expand our initiatives to assist schools and communities in developing and implementing programs and support services that promote positive, safe and healthy schools and communities. The ORN and School Safety Center are examples of those initiatives.”

Among other resources, the Ohio Safe Schools Center at UC provides a Safe School Toolbox of materials that includes an emergency-management template, emergency-aftermath information, school visitor procedures/policies, evacuation and lockdown procedures, and tabletop training for Ohio school personnel. A resource of the Center for Prevention Studies that is making training more accessible to Ohio teachers and administrators on a variety of issues including school climate and school safety is a free, online learning academy, located at:   http://www.ebasedAcademy.org/

Columbine Tragedy Impact Still Strong 10 Years Later