In the wake of the Minneapolis school shooting that claimed the lives of two students and left 18 injured, officials across the nation are swiftly responding to bolster school safety. Ohio Governor Mike DeWine has emphasized preparation as critical, offering support from the Department of Public Safety, which can send experts to advise on making campuses safer and provide state funding for necessary improvements. “It’s all in the preparation. It’s being ready and it’s also doing things that may deter someone from coming in and doing this,” DeWine stated in remarks obtained by Cleveland19.
With school districts grappling to ensure safety, the question of arming staff has come to the forefront. There are currently 97 Ohio school districts that allow armed staff, a notable increase from the previous year. “It’s up to every, every school to make their own decision,” Gov. DeWine told Cleveland19, stressing the importance of training and setting minimum standards for armed personnel on school premises.
As parents across the country try to navigate conversations about safety with their children, Clinical psychologist Lauren Cook shared age-sensitive advice. For younger children, Cook suggests only broaching the subject if they initiate and keeping the information simple and free from graphic details, strengthening the notion that adults are actively working to keep them safe. Cook expressed to ABC News, “Keep the information simple, avoid graphic details and reassure them that adults are working to keep them safe.”…