School Safety

School Safety

The safety and well-being of our students, staff and community within our buildings, grounds and vehicles is one of the most important and challenging responsibilities that we have as a school district. Student safety is vital to learning. We do our best, every day, to provide a safe environment for everyone that we are entrusted. Unfortunately, natural and man-made disasters do occur. As a district, we prepare for such emergencies by evaluating, planning and practicing. Safety is multi-faceted, addressing physical security as well as the social and emotional needs of our students. We cannot do it alone – our families and community play an integral role in the safety of our schools.

Kenston Policies

As a district, we are required by law to conduct fire, tornado, school safety and bus evacuation drills several times throughout the year. It is crucial for students and staff to be aware of and understand emergency procedures in all educational settings. The drills are conducted following our emergency management plan, which is updated, reviewed and submitted to the Ohio Department of Education with guidance from Ohio Homeland Security. We work in conjunction with the Auburn Fire Department, Bainbridge Police Department, Bainbridge Fire Department and the Geauga County Sherriff’s Department, as well as county emergency officials, regarding the safety practices in our district. School emergency plans are re-evaluated every three (3) years, or when moving into a new building. (Kenston Policy 8420 – Emergency Situations at Schools)

Safety Measures

In addition to practicing safety drills, we have daily security measures in place, including our Kenston Resource Officer (KRO) security detail and locking all building doors after student arrival. Visitors, contractors and vendors must be granted entrance to our buildings, and sign-in utilizing the Raptor visitor badge system for real-time background checks. We are continually evaluating our facilities and procedures to increase the safety of those on campus.

If You See Something, Say Something

If you See Something, Say Something, we encourage students, staff and families to report any concern, no incident is too small. We do not tolerate threats made against our students, staff and community and their well-being. Threats are taken seriously, reported to authorities, investigated and disciplined appropriately.

Ways to report an incident:

• Tell a member of the staff via email, text or phone
• Safer Schools Ohio hotline at: 844-SAFEROH (844-723-3764)
• Bainbridge Police: 440-543-8252 | 911 in true emergencies

Talk to your Child

Communication is critical, speak to your child(ren) about the drills conducted at school, help them understand why the drills are important. It is also essential to talk to your child(ren) about events and threats that have happened in other schools. Be aware of their concerns and fears in the wake of such tragedies. Monitor children’s exposure to media coverage to protect them from secondary trauma.

Be aware of their actions in the wake of such tragedies. Here are some resources that may provide some guidance in getting the conversation started:

Thank You

Thank you for working with us to ensure everyone’s safety. If you have any concerns or questions about the safety protocols in your child’s building, please contact the building principal.