HAMILTON COUNTY, Ohio — Back-to-school season is in full swing across the tri-state area, but experts say this exciting time of year also brings dangers.
“We’re seeing more bomb threats or shootings when it comes to going back to school. And also in the spring, at the very end of spring, when we get out of school,” says Emily Torok, executive director of the Ohio School Safety Center.
There have been several threats against schools in the Greater Cincinnati area over the past 12 months. On Monday, Hamilton High School’s first day of school ended early after threatening phone calls were made. In April, a West Clermont Middle School student was charged after authorities said he made a bomb threat. Even last December, local FBI agents investigated threatening emails sent to several local schools.
Despite the large number of incidents on campuses at the local, state and even national levels, law enforcement experts believe the threat level is low.
“The clear majority is not credible, but you have to take it seriously only when you know it is not credible,” said Mo Canady, a former police officer and executive director of the National Association of School Resource Officers.
Canady said Student Resource Officers (SROs) play a central role in deciding how to respond to a threat to a school, whether in person, online or by phone.
“It is really important that the SRO is a functioning part of each school’s multidisciplinary safety team,” he said.
Canady said SROs can also be a helpful resource for students or parents to report if something is wrong or concerning.
“They are there to represent your interests and help you stay safe. And they are the people to go to if you want to report something you see or hear that concerns you,” he said.
The Ohio School Safety Center has a 24/7 hotline where anyone can report threats or suspicious activity: the Safer Ohio School Tipline.
Parents, students and even staff can make anonymous reports online or by calling or texting 844-723-3764.
“The more we do to provide solutions for anonymous reporting and have ways to report suspicious activity, the better our chances of preventing something from happening,” Torok said.
In addition to the resources of the Ohio School Safety Center, Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost also has several training videos on threat assessment in schools.
