Statewide Education News

State officials weigh in on Chardon shooting (News-Herald)

“Please join me in praying for the students who’ve been injured in this horrible crime. Praise goes to the Chardon Police and Geauga County Sheriff’s office for quickly getting this situation under control. I’ve pledged Ohio’s full support to them, the school and the local community in this difficult time.”
— Ohio Gov. John Kasich

“My deepest sympathies are with the students and their families, staff and teachers of the Chardon School District and the Chardon community as they work through the tragic incident on their school campus this morning. Please keep them in your thoughts today. I appreciate the quick response to this situation by Superintendent Bergant and law enforcement and first responders to protect the students and to quickly apprehend the persons responsible for this horrific act.”
— State Superintendent Stan Heffner
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In Chardon, the training paid off (Dispatch)

Students and teachers knew what to do yesterday when a gunman started shooting. “We’ve had a number of disaster drills in the past. Thank God we put those in place,” Chardon school-district Superintendent Joseph Bergant II said. “We’ve been training for this.” Under state law, schools are required to practice lockdown drills at least once a year. Locking classroom doors is designed to keep people safe in a building when threats make evacuation unsafe. Some schools run the drills as often as fire exercises. At Chardon High School yesterday, district officials said students, teachers, law enforcement and even parents followed the district’s plans. Read More…

Superintendents discuss security in wake of school shooting (Times Reporter)

A tragedy that unfolded Monday morning when shots were fired at Chardon High School in suburban Cleveland — leaving one student dead and four wounded — leaves a dark cloud hanging over education, according to one area superintendent. A teenager, described by one witness as a fellow student, is a suspect in the shooting. He was arrested near his car a half-mile away from the school, the FBI said. Bob Fogler, superintendent at Indian Valley Local Schools in Gnadenhutten, said the tragedy casts a pall over all schools. Read More…

Chardon High School shooting news was spread rapidly by social media, texting (Plain Dealer)

CHARDON - In the chaotic and critical minutes following the shootings at Chardon High School, text messages among students and to their parents almost instantly conveyed news of injury and death - and also messages from those who hid in safety. In this era of rapidly spreading social media, many of the parents who showed up at Chardon High knew their children were safe because they received text messages from them minutes after the chaos began. Read More…

Some Ohio schools fail to comply with terror drill laws (WEWS 5 ABC)

CLEVELAND - A 5 On Your Side investigation has found that not all Ohio schools are complying with a state law requiring terror drills and safety plans. Since 2006, state law requires public schools to file safety plans and building blueprints for each school with the Ohio Attorney General's Office. In addition, terror drills are required by December 1 of each school year. The records are also supposed to be on file with the local police department near each school. But a spokesperson with the Ohio Attorney General's office says compliance is "about 90 percent." Read More…

Area school chiefs assess plans after Chardon tragedy (Vindicator)

Youngstown - School crisis plans and safety precautions are in place, but Mahoning Valley superintendents say building relationships with students is the best way to guard against a Chardon-like tragedy. A student is in custody Monday morning, suspected of opening fire inside the Geauga County high school cafeteria before the start of the Monday school day. One student was killed, and at least four others were injured. Howard Friend, superintendent of Sebring schools, said that school district takes precautions to try to guard against similar incidents. Read More…

School tragedies open communication between parents and children (Beacon Journal)

When a school shooting dominates the news, experts say parents can use the situation as a chance to talk with their children. Kids will react differently to hearing about Monday’s school shooting in Chardon, depending on their age, said Dr. Stephen Cosby, director of the Division of Pediatric Psychiatry and Psychology at Akron Children’s Hospital. Younger children can exhibit symptoms of anxiety, such as fear of going to school or leaving their parents, he said. Teens might say they are “cool with it” but then show their true concerns through angry outbursts or irritability. Read More…

State schools superintendent speaks at Athens Rotary (Athens Messenger)

Updating outdated curriculum standards and better preparing students for the future are the main goals of state school Supt. Stan Heffner. Heffner, the Ohio Department of Education superintendent of instruction, spoke during Athens Rotary’s noon meeting Monday. Heffner noted that current curriculum standards were originally adopted in 1989 and only expect students to have proficiency in subjects at an eighth- or ninth-grade level. The current plan to update those standards in the 2013-2014 school year — along with changing testing standards and how students take those tests — will be the first manifestations of the strategy to prepare Ohio students for the future. Read More…

Local Issues

Chardon High School shooting shows value of school security, crisis planning (WEWS 5 ABC)

CHARDON - Nearly 13 years after the Columbine High School shooting, schools across the nation continue to implement the valuable lessons learned from the Colorado tragedy. On Monday, those lessons were put to the test at Chardon High School. Mass parent notification systems, evacuation sites, parent-student reunification plans and methods for quickly mobilizing counselors are core topics school safety experts include in teaching school administrators, crisis teams and law enforcement officers how to prepare for their worst nightmare: a school shooting. Read More…

Local schools have emergency procedures in place (Morning Journal)

LORAIN — After the tragic incident at Chardon High School, involving a shooter killing one and injuring four others yesterday, local school districts say they have emergency procedures in place if something like that were to occur at their schools. Jamie Montague, safety coordinator and security supervisor for Lorain City Schools, said that they are thinking of Chardon especially since the school is not that far away. He said all districts try to be there for each other. Read More…

Teachers union pact not done (Dispatch)

The Westerville teachers union will not offer new concessions before voters decide the district’s March 6 levy request, school officials and the head of the teachers union announced last night. “Yes, we would have liked to have had a contract for ratification by now, but those discussions are not complete,” board President Kevin Hoffman said at the school-board meeting, the last before the election. The district’s three other bargaining groups each agreed in recent weeks to two-year freezes in all wages. Read More…

City, school agree to partner in hopes of sharing bus site (Chillicothe Gazette)

CHILLICOTHE - The city hopes a newly forged partnership with Chillicothe City Schools can result in a savings for both entities if they consolidate their bus facilities. In two separate meetings Monday, the Chillicothe City School District approved legislation that matched an ordinance approved later by City Council authorizing the two groups to apply jointly for a grant feasibility study to move the school district's buses in Yoctangee Park to the Transit Facility at Seventh and Watt streets. Read More…

Lakota’s latest budget proposal targets athletics (Journal News)

LIBERTY TWP. — Lakota Local Schools administrators are recommending cutting $315,000 from the district’s $2.1 million athletics budget for next school year by decreasing coaching staff, support staff and other sports expenses. This plan released Monday night follows recommendations to cut more than 100 teaching jobs to offset a projected $9 million deficit for next school year. Over the past few weeks, the district has been presenting budget proposals totaling $7.4 million in cuts focusing on preschool, elementary and secondary education, and now athletics. Read More…

Employees file complaint against Crooksville School District (Times Recorder)

CROOKSVILLE - The Ohio Association of Public School Employees filed a complaint against Crooksville Exempted School District stating the district violated a group of employees rights to form a union. The complaint was filed with the State Employment Relations Board Friday, said Bev Spetz, coordinator of organizing for the OAPSE. Spetz said after several employees at the school district made their intentions clear that they wanted to join the union, the most "shocking behavior" against those employees took place. Read More…

2nd Chardon High School student dies of gunshot wound (Plain Dealer)

CLEVELAND — A second Chardon High School student who was shot Monday morning has died. Russell King Jr., 17, was pronounced brain dead Monday at MetroHealth Medical Center. The hospital notified the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner's Office of the death at 12:42 a.m. today. Russell was described by students as a sociable kid who got along well with people. Read More…

Two dead in Chardon school shooting (Dispatch)

Authorities say a student wounded in an Ohio school shooting has been declared brain dead, the second reported fatality. Hugh Shannon, administrator at the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner’s Office, says officials received the tragic news early today about Russell King Jr. Shannon says the office is continuing to investigate the manner and cause of death. Read More…