STruthers schools

STruthers schools

Safety measures

Struthers is considering more than just emergency lockdown buckets to keep its students safe. Here are some other things the district plans to do or already has done:

Host its second annual safety fair: Last November, Yvonne Wilson, director of diversion and safety, said more than 400 people came to the school district’s first safety fair. Wilson planned the event herself and had representatives from the Ohio State Highway Patrol, police department and fire department, to name a few groups, set up stations at the high school one night for students and parents to learn about crime, driving safety and things happening in the schools. She hopes to create a larger event this March on a weekday evening.

Implement the RAPTOR system: This school year, Struthers launched RAPTOR, a program to identify whether nonstudents entering the schools have criminal records or restraining orders. As of this fall, all nonstudents must submit their ID to be scanned as soon as they enter any of the school buildings. “It cross-checks records to see whether a person coming in is a sexual offender, criminal or something along those lines,” said Superintendent Joseph Nohra. “Is it going to stop some people? Not always. But if someone suspicious comes in, we want to be ready in case.”

ALICE (Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter and Evacuate) training for students and staff: Nohra said the school is “hybrid in ALICE training.” He said even the school’s kindergarten students have learned simple ways to protect themselves in dangerous situations.