September/October 2022

Welcome back! The Educational Service Center of Northeast Ohio is excited to kick off the school year and to inform you of the expansion of the Student Wellness Department. We are pleased to introduce our four new consultants: Erica Houston, Amanda Nowak, Carrie Sullivan, and Meke Wiggins.

Below is a great Engagement Toolkit that is full of ideas for welcoming all students and families, including those who are new to your districts.

Welcoming Atmosphere Walk-Through Tool Kit

The ESC of Northeast Ohio Student Wellness Department

988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline

988 has been designated as the new three-digit dialing code that will route callers to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (now known as the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline), and is now active across the United States.

When people call, text, or chat 988, they will be connected to trained counselors that are part of the existing Lifeline network. These trained counselors will listen, understand how their problems are affecting them, provide support, and connect them to resources if necessary.

The previous Lifeline phone number (1-800-273-8255) will always remain available to people in emotional distress or suicidal crisis.

The Lifeline’s network of over 200 crisis centers has been in operation since 2005, and has been proven to be effective. It’s the counselors at these local crisis centers who answer the contacts the Lifeline receives every day. Numerous studies have shown that callers feel less suicidal, less depressed, less overwhelmed and more hopeful after speaking with a Lifeline counselor.

CLICK HERE to read more about 988 on the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) website.

CLICK HERE for resources on:

National Suicide Prevention Month
National Attendance Awareness Month
National Bullying Month
Domestic Violence Awareness Month

CLICK HERE for resources on:

OCD Awareness Week - October 9-15, 2022
Safe Schools Week - October 16-22, 2022

Getting into the Game | StopBullying.

The Use of a Tiered Approach to Bullying in Schools

The National School Safety Center identifies bullying as the “most enduring and under-rated problem in U.S. schools.” Federal statistics on bullying indicate that about 20% of American students experience bullying, with the most common reasons being physical appearance, the presence of a disability, sexual orientation, gender and race/ethnicity. Youth with disabilities and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or questioning (LGBTQ) youth are at a significantly increased risk. Results from the 2021 Cuyahoga County Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) revealed that 21.5% of LGBTQ students reported having been bullied on school property, as compared to 10.7 of their straight peers. In addition, 23.4% of students who identified as “not sure” of their sexual orientation reported as being bullied in school.

While there are a number of formal definitions for bullying, in order for a behavior to be identified as such, it must involve an imbalance of power and it must happen more than once or have the potential to be repeated. Bullying includes aggressive, repetitive behaviors, and an imbalance of power such as verbal or physical attacks, intentionally excluding someone from a group, spreading rumors or making threats. There are long and short term effects that can occur as a result of being bullied. In the short term, students may experience depression, greater incidence of illness and even suicidal thoughts and feelings. Longer term effects include reduced occupational opportunities, difficulty trusting others and an increased tendency to be a loner.

The Ohio Department of Education provides multiple resources and recommendations to assist districts in addressing bullying. Resources include information on interventions, parent communication and evidence-based practices. A recommended first step for districts is to audit or map current practices and interventions. From there, teams can develop action plans that include supports or services for all involved (i.e. the bully, the target and the bystanders).

The Multi-tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) framework offers a tiered approach to addressing the issue. This includes universal strategies where clear behavioral expectations are taught and reinforced, and selective and intensive strategies for those who have greater needs. It is important to note that this multi-level prevention system is managed by a team that utilizes data to monitor student needs and responses to interventions. The following is an example of what bullying prevention and intervention might look like in each tier:

Tier I (Universal)

All students and staff are taught a common definition of bullying and strategies for preventing and responding to bullying behavior.
A tracking and reporting system is used for identifying potential bullying across settings.
Skill-based instruction is provided for students on bullying prevention, cyberbullying prevention and bystander expectations.
Family and Community Engagement and awareness of procedures

Tier II (Selective)

A referral system is developed for identifying students who need more support (e.g. teacher nomination form, school-wide data system, caregiver reports).
Direct social/emotional learning instruction is provided for students who show early signs of problem behavior. Topics might include self-management skills, empathy building and communication skills.
Active supervision takes place in locations where bullying is most likely to occur.

Tier III (Intensive)

Individual meetings with students and caregivers take place.
Individualized plans for students who bully others are developed. These plans may include regular check-ins, mentoring and skills practice.
Referrals to behavioral health services take place as needed.
Supportive planning occurs with individuals who are bullied.Supportive check-ins, plans for safety and meetings with caregivers may be included.

Please check out the Awareness Campaign Section in this newsletter for links to resources. If you have any questions on bullying prevention, or aligning with your Multi-tiered System of Support Framework, please email Kristine Kozlowski at kristine.kozlowski@escneo.org and someone will contact you!

Aligning School Programs Within a Multi-Tiered Framework

The excitement and fresh energy of a new school year can be tempered by the seemingly endless list of tasks to be completed. There are new staff to welcome, teams to form, and records to update. When the immediate needs are handled, the first quarter is a good time for examining and assessing the many programs and initiatives that fall under a school district or building’s Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS). The purpose of an audit of this type is to identify potential gaps in social, emotional and behavioral services (e.g. social emotional learning, bullying prevention, trauma-sensitive practices) and to reveal strengths and needs.

Dr. Kent McIntosh, University of Oregon professor and researcher, has stated that “one of the major variables affecting sustained implementation of effective practices is the introduction of new initiatives that either (a) compete with resources needed for sustained implementation or (b) contradict existing initiatives.” Before adopting a new program, initiatives already in place should be carefully examined to avoid overlapping efforts in terms of teaming, professional development and funding. Considerations for each program include:

Is it achieving its intended goal?
Who is providing leadership for the program?
Who is the target population?
What resources are needed to implement?
What are associated challenges and strengths?

The intended outcome of this exercise is to establish a more efficient and effective system that will meet the needs of all students. Additional resources and a fact sheet can be found at this site and in this webinar (passcode: &2RUEg=!) presented recently by Kelly Perales, co-director of Midwest PBIS Network. If you are interested in auditing and aligning initiatives in your building or district, the Student Wellness Dept. can help. Please contact Kristine Kozlowski at kristine.kozlowski@escneo.org.

Enhancing Student and Staff Safety in Schools: Understanding Recent Legislation and Communicating it to Families

Two new House Bills directly affecting schools were passed by Ohio’s General Assembly and signed by Governor DeWine this past summer. Information on these bills can be found below, but if you would like to view the video of Gov. DeWine’s recent update, you will find it here.

House Bill 123 - "Safety and Violence Education Students (SAVE Students) Act"

The Safety and Violence Education Students (SAVE Students) Act supports Ohio's strategic plan for education with respect to school security and youth suicide awareness education and training. HB 123 requires that each school district create a threat assessment team for district buildings serving grades 6 through 12. Schools have until March 24, 2023 to establish and train their teams, utilizing an ODE approved threat assessment training program. The goal of these teams is to prevent violence and resolve conflicts that underlie threatening behavior.

Governor DeWine encourages schools to utilize Dr. Dewey Cornell’s Comprehensive School Threat Assessment Guidelines (CSTAG) Threat Assessment Model. The Ohio Safety Center and Ohio Department of Education will be offering free CSTAG threat assessment training through local ESCs. It is being recommended at the state level that teams be composed of three district-level safety and security staff members, with 3 to 5 team members for elementary schools that choose to establish a team and 5 team members for middle and high schools. The ESC of Northeast Ohio is the lead for the Northeast Ohio region and in partnership with surrounding ESCs, has identified 19 individuals who will be trained in the trainer CSTAG model. Dates and registration will be shared soon.

“I highly recommend the CSTAG training. I firmly believe this

evidence-based approach will prove very effective in reducing school violence.

I am pleased Ohio is promoting CSTAG. I wish I had heard about it sooner.

I am excited to do the first training in our area.”

- Tim Del Vecchio, Security Advisor, Ohio Schools Council

“I have been a School Resource Officer for 19 years. I found that collaboration

is the best method to resolve school threats and student issues. This training is paramount to the safe operation of schools and the involvement of all the entire community needed to raise our children.”

- Jon Karl, School Resource Officer, North Royalton City Schools

House Bill 99

House Bill 99 allows teachers to carry firearms in the classroom, but it grants local boards of education the authority to determine whether or not to arm school staff. It is a local choice and is not mandated by the legislature or state government. Those who will be armed will be required to complete up to 24 hours of school specific training, up to eight hours of annual re-qualification training, and a criminal background check.

The Governor is working with the Ohio School Safety Center’s (OSSC) Safety and Crisis Division to develop and provide training for school staff members whose district opt to allow employees to be armed on school grounds. Mary Davis, former executive director of the Ohio Peace Officer Training Academy, has been selected to serve as the chief training officer overseeing OSSC's new Safety & Crisis Division.

Reassuring stakeholders

It is important that caregivers are aware of these new bills and district policies and protocols to prevent school violence. The messaging from districts to the staff, students and families should be positive and clear so they are educated and empowered to prevent violence in schools, homes and communities.

Below are some statistics that may help alleviate stakeholder fears around school safety:

With an average of 21 students killed per year across 125,000 schools, the average U.S. school can expect a student to be murdered approximately every 6,000 years (Borum et.al 2010). The likelihood of a homicide is far greater in other locations such as restaurants, shopping centers, and residences (Nekavasil, Cornell, and Huang, 2015). Although media and social media attention to school shootings arouses great public concern, compared to other places where firearm violence occurs, schools are one of the safest places in the country.
Threat assessment offers an alternative to fear-based subjective reactions to student threats and can provide a safer approach because it involves a more comprehensive investigation of a student’s behavior.
Threat assessment is not designed to predict violence, but to identify potentially violent situations and resolve them by taking actions that will reduce the risk.

Please reach out to the ESC of Northeast Ohio, or your local ESC, if you have questions or would like to inquire about threat assessment training approved by the Ohio Department of Education.

Resources

Threat Assessment Checklist for K-12 Schools

Threat Assessment in Virginia

Sandy Hook Promise