At the Chillicothe City School District, keeping our students safe while they are in our care or participating in our programs is always our priority. We have implemented rigorous safety standards and procedures across our buildings and wanted to share more about our processes with you, so families fully understand our commitment to keeping their children and loved ones safe.  

• Our school district collaborates with local law enforcement and other first responders to develop comprehensive emergency plans for each of our buildings. These plans are reviewed by all employees at the start of each school year. 

• Each building conducts various safety drills throughout the school year as required by all schools in the state of Ohio. 

• Our district employs three resource officers, all with law enforcement backgrounds. They regularly participate in various local, state and national training to stay in tune with all current policies and procedures. 

• We utilize Navigate Prepared as the platform to house all emergency plans, contact information, procedures, student information and other necessities in the event of an emergency. 

• Our district partners with The ALICE (Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter and Evacuate) Training Institute. Employees in the district go through eLearning to train on how to react in the event of an intruder and all buildings conduct active shooter training and drills. 

• We are in the planning phases of hosting an ALICE Training Event that will provide an opportunity for in-person training for several of our employees that will also be open to other local community organizations.  

• We utilize MARCS Radios for all principals, administrators and other key personnel to provide clear communication throughout the district for everyday normal activities, but especially in the event of an emergency. All buses are also equipped with MARCS Radios. Additionally, these radios have a channel that provides direct communication with the Chillicothe Police Department. 

• The school district has a Safe School Helpline that provides an opportunity for students and parents to communicate any safety issues, anonymously, to district administration. This would include any type of bullying, threats or other issues. 

• The local SWAT Team has conducted training in each of our new buildings to ensure they are familiar with each facility and its layout/floor plan. 

• The Chillicothe Police Department conducts walk-throughs of our middle school and high school with the K-9 Units to deter any type of contraband being brought into the building. 

• Our district was recently awarded approximately $60,000 through a state safety grant, which will be used to upgrade public address systems in our middle and high school along with camera upgrades at our Mt. Logan Facility. 

• We have purchased BOLO Sticks for all office and classroom doors. This device quickly and easily barricades the door to keep anyone from entering, which is implemented if the building goes into a lockdown. 

• For more details regarding school safety in Ohio, please visit Ohio’s School Safety Center site.