TRUMBULL COUNTY Task force studies safety in schools

Drug use among teen-agers is another problem that schools need to address, one official says.
By AMANDA C. DAVIS
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
CHAMPION -- Local law enforcement and education officials are looking to safeguard the place where kids spend a majority of their time -- school.
That's why they've been meeting as the Trumbull County Task Force on Safety, discussing topics like school violence, bullying and drugs.
The nonprofit Education Council of Columbus has developed a safe-school audit that some Ohio schools have already implemented.
Julianne Pierce, program director for the audit, said local schools plan to participate in the audit, which was developed by the educational council, with help from professors at The Ohio State University.
What this is about: The task force, including local police, school board members, principals and superintendents, met Friday at Champion High School.
Pierce said the audit includes input from students, parents, staff, law enforcement and the community.
Its purpose is to enforce the notion that every child deserves to learn in an environment free of violence and drugs.
Officials at the meeting explained the audit is a continuous-improvement process to gather data, assess conditions and make changes.
Participating schools receive guidebooks, student surveys, training and technical support and data analysis. The Ohio Department of Education helps offset some costs of materials for districts.
Drug problem: Officials said reducing drug use among teen-agers is another aspect of safe-school plans.
Trumbull County Sheriff's Deputy Jeff Orr, in charge of Trumbull County Drug Task Force, also spoke Friday.
He said use among teens is expected to keep increasing and noted teens themselves believe the chief problem they face is drugs.
He also pointed out that 80 percent of prison inmates are incarcerated for drug-related offenses.
Orr touched on marijuana, which he said leads to use of other drugs; cocaine, which he said infiltrates all walks of life; and heroin, which is again gaining popularity and is a serious problem in many states, including Ohio.
Use of Ecstasy, LSD and Oxycontin is also on the rise, Orr said, and explained that methamphetamine houses will soon outnumber crack houses.
He told school officials they shouldn't try to deal in-house with student drug use, but instead need to call authorities.
Orr called school violence and drug use "domestic terrorism."
Here's a concern: Linda Beil, director of Trumbull County Emergency Management Agency, said the task force has met five or six times and is planning another meeting for February.
She noted that attendance has been disappointing, especially from local school superintendents and principals.
Senate Bill 1 mandates that every school have a crisis plan.
Beil said the EMA and local police and fire departments will have copies of local school crisis plans so they can better respond in an emergency.
An important aspect of the safe-schools audit is that it involves input from parents and students, Beil said.
"We're just trying to make sure they're safe."
davis@vindy.com