Safety and Security

All schools in West Clermont have an established Safety Team that meets at least quarterly.
All West Clermont school buildings conduct all drills (fire, safety, and shelter-in-place) required by law and by the Ohio Department of Education.
Visitors to West Clermont schools must sign and wear a visitor badge while at the school.
Video cameras are used to monitor activity at all 9 schools.
Any volunteer with unsupervised access to students is required to pass a criminal background check through the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI).
Any chemicals brought into a school or on school grounds must have a Safety Data Sheet.
The district is in compliance with Ohio's Department of Homeland Security expectations.
ALICE training is reviewed on an annual basis at each school.
School administrators and staff supervise the hallways, the cafeteria during lunch, outdoor recess, and entrances and exits during arrival and dismissal.
Our high school and middle school both maintain School Resource Officers during school hours.
Our high school and middle school both incorporate random dog searches of the buildings in coordination with local law enforcement.
Staff and first responders have access to online emergency preparedness solution that facilitates responding to emergency situations.
Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) are located in all school buildings.
Multiple staff members in every school are CPR certified on a yearly basis including all Head Custodians.
Local first responders visit our schools to build relationships with our students.
All PreK-12th grade students have access to the Wolves Wellness Center, a school-based health center at WCMS that is run in partnership with HealthSource of Ohio that offers medical, optical, dental, and behavioral health services.
All school buildings have health clinics that are operated by Health Clinic Assistants and/or School Nurse and supervised by the District Nurse.
Multiple staff members in every school are trained and certified on a yearly basis in Crisis Prevention Institute (CPI) Nonviolent Crisis Intervention.
Transportation Department maintains high standards for recruiting, hiring, and training school bus drivers.
Bus drivers and students annually review and practice evacuation safety drills.
All West Clermont staff remembers complete online safety training on an annual basis.

Bullying and hazing activities of any type are prohibited and students, staff, parents, and community members are encouraged to report any incident of harassment, intimidation, or bullying on the district website.
The district incorporates social-emotional, bullying-prevention, and leadership programs at all levels, including:
Caring School Community program implemented K-8.
Hope Squads at West Clermont Middle School and West Clermont High School
WEB (Where Everyone Belongs) at West Clermont Middle School to facilitate the transition from 5th to 6th grade
Link Crew at West Clermont High School to facilitate the transition from 8th to 9th grade
Select staff members at each school completed threat assessment training through the Ohio Department of Education and Sandy Hook Promise.
When necessary, the district also uses the Columbia - Suicide Severity Rating Scale and Child Focus Mobile Crisis Team
Through our partnership with Child Focus, West Clermont Middle School incorporated the Signs of Suicide Program.
Services from Qualified Mental Health Specialists from Child Focus are available for all students at every school.
The Wolves Wellness Center has a therapist available for students through our partnership with Child Focus.

The district maintains a Cyber Incident Response Plan to provide guidance in the event of a Cyber incident. As part of this plan, Response Teams exist for each building as well as at the district level. These teams stand ready to respond when activated.
The district is a member of the Ohio Chapter of the Student Data Privacy Consortium, a collection of school districts focused on student data privacy concerns.
Internet content filtering is used to protect staff and students from inappropriate and harmful online content while at school.
Firewall services to protect staff and students from external malicious activity.
The district employs 24/7 monitoring and content filtering for student devices in the One-to-Wolf program while both on and off-campus.
Anti-virus and anti-malware programs to protect staff and students' user accounts from being compromised.
The district has developed Cyber Incident Response Plans should an event occur to ensure minimal disruption to teaching and learning.
The district has implemented multi-factored authentication for all staff members.
The district has increased efforts to mitigate a network cyber attack.

West Clermont maintains open and direct communication with all jurisdictions within the district including the Clermont County Sheriff’s Office, Union Township Police Department, Union Township Fire Department, Pierce Township Fire Department, Pierce Township Police Department, the Central Joint Fire-EMS District, and the Clermont County Emergency Management Agency.
School and district administrators participate in tabletop exercises using hypothetical scenarios to plan for a variety of situations.
West Clermont personnel are trained using the Traumatic Event Crisis Intervention Plan. TECIP is a school-based framework designed to meet the emotional and psychological needs of students and staff in the aftermath of a traumatic event.
All West Clermont schools have created and routinely update comprehensive Emergency Operations Plans that outline the plans and procedures the school would use in the event of an emergency, including plans for communication and reunification with families.

Talking to Your Kids About Safety and Wellbeing

At West Clermont, ensuring that all students can attend school in an environment that is safe, secure, and supportive has always been our top priority. With the recent rise in school safety-related incidents, school safety has been the subject of increased focus both inside and outside of school communities.

As we have talked with students, staff, and families over the last several years, a consistent theme has been that the adults in our community are looking for ways to talk with their students and children about safety and security at school. While we as parents, guardians, and staff know that talking to our next generation of leaders and citizens about safety and security is important, we're not always sure where to start.

The West Clermont Citizens Advisory Commission (CAC) has answered the call by researching and creating a tool for families entitled, "Talking to Your Kids About Safety and Wellbeing." The goal of this project has been to create an easy-to-use resource for both families and staff to engage in meaningful and important conversations about school safety and wellbeing with their children and students.

Download your copy of "Talking to Your Kids About Safety and Wellbeing."

SAFETY AND SECURITY LINKS
Safety Guide
Harassment, Intimidation, Hazing & Bullying Report
"Talking to Your Kids About Safety and Wellbeing"

Safety of the Whole Child

Video Series: Safety & Security in West Clermont (Fall 2024)

Video Series: Safety & Security in West Clermont (Fall 2023)

Resource from the West Clermont Citizens Advisory Commission

Talking to Your Kids About Safety and Wellbeing