A teenager Monday opened fire in the Chardon cafeteria, killing one student and injuring four others. He was later taken into custody off school grounds.
“As a superintendent, I think we all feel this is the worst nightmare that we could experience,” Springfield City School District Superintendent David Estrop said.
“Try as we may, as hard as we work, it requires the cooperation of everyone, from parents to students to staff, because we cannot put enough things in place, enough rules in place, to ever be totally convinced that this couldn’t happen here or at other schools.”
Although school shootings are rare, threat assessment is not an insignificant problem, according to Ohio Department of Education data. Nearly 4,000 students were disciplined during the 2010-2011 school year for using or possessing a gun, explosive or other weapon, or for making false alarms or bomb threats.
Decisions on whether to install metal detectors or hire uniformed officers depend on individual district factors, but the need to report information is consistent across all districts, said Tom Ash, director of Governmental Relations for the Buckeye Association of School Administrators.
“People need to listen,” Ash said. “The most important thing is keeping our ears open.”
Local schools districts and law enforcement agencies work together to investigate and address threats that come to their attention and some schools, like Springfield and Tecumseh Local Schools, have buildings that allow doors to be locked during the day and office staff to admit visitors.
But that’s just part of combating school violence, educators say.
“It’s about taking preventative action, as well as taking reasonable security actions,” said Estrop.
Creating a climate where students feel accepted, secure and can confide in adults is the other component.
At Tecumseh, part of the strategy has become involving students in the prevention with their classmates so they take ownership, Tecumseh Superintendent Jim Gay said.
“I think if you can involve kids in the process, in terms of keeping the school safe, they want a safe school and they want a safe school where all kids feel safe,” he said.
When students feel like a part of the school community, they’re less likely to commit violence, said Springfield High School Campus Director Chris Shaffer.
“That’s generally where these circumstances arise, is someone’s very angry by the way they’ve been treated in regard to something and we’re trying to eliminate that at the high school,” he said.
By creating a safe climate, educators can make students feel comfortable confiding in their parents and teachers about rumors or threats they’ve heard.
“If you see something, we want to make sure our students understand that they can say something without fear of retribution or being identified,” Shaffer said.
Monday’s tragedy at Chardon is a reminder to tell students of the importance of communicating with staff, Sheriff Kelly said.
“Today would be a good opportunity to talk to your kids, ask them, you know, ‘Do you feel safe in your school?’ ” he said. “Always know that they can tell their parents and then we ask parents to let us know or let school officials know if they have concerns.”
Parents and students should let an authority know immediately about any threats, Estrop said.
“If you can’t reach us, call 911 or the regular number, depending upon the nature of the information,” he said. “But don’t ever hesitate to let the school know or the police.”
Kelly said he hopes students and parents get that message.
“The greatest tragedy would be if someone had heard something and they hadn’t reported it,” he said. “I think that students, teachers, parents, we all need to be vigilant and make sure that these are safe places for our children.”
Huber Heights officials were dealing with their own threat of violence on Monday.
That one ended peacefully, with police and school officials stopping a teen when he entered Wayne High School. He wasn’t armed, though his Facebook post said he would be, Superintendent Bill Kirby said.
Huber Heights officials followed the most basic advice of experts: All threats are to be taken seriously and reported. Parents, in particular, are encouraged to watch their children’s social media.
Staff writers Lou Grieco and Margo Rutledge Kissell contributed to this article.
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