By: Natasha Adams, Superintendent West Clermont School District

At West Clermont Local Schools, we are relentlessly focusing on student needs, innovation and modernization as part of our all-new Blazing New Trails strategic plan. We recognize that above all else, our students need to feel safe and physically and mentally well to be present at school and advance their education. 

This October, we are shining a spotlight on our commitment to physical safety, social and emotional wellness, cyber safety, and crisis response. We recently re-released our Safety Guide. This serves as a reminder of our multifaceted safety efforts, outlines our crisis response plan with key definitions, and provides families and community members with resources on how to talk to children about safety topics. This Safety Guide can be viewed at our website at westcler.org. 

As part of our physical safety protocol we have a safety team that meets routinely with local law enforcement, fire, and EMS. At our latest meeting in September, we discussed emergency protocols, crisis response, and reunification. Our strong relationships with our resource officers and local law enforcement is key in keeping students and staff safe. We also utilize a K-9 Police Dog named Nya who is trained in sniffing out narcotics including fentanyl. She can also track missing people. Over the past two years we’ve also added screening on all doors and many windows. These safety additions were part of a safety grant from both the state and federal governments.

From a Cyber Security perspective 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 also uses internet content filtering, firewall services, 24/7 monitoring, and anti-virus malware programs to protect staff and student user accounts from being compromised.

We are especially proud of our latest initiative in the mental health space. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the mental health of children and teens has grown steadily worse over the last decade. Feedback from our families through our various community engagement activities shows this is a top concern for our schools as well. 

Beginning this year, we are teaming up with Child Focus, Necco and Best Point to ensure all students have access to comprehensive mental health services. As our mission states, Together as one community, we Learn. Lead. Succeed. We hope this innovative approach will move the needle for our Wolves. 

These partnerships will provide the following:

Prevention (drug, alcohol, tobacco and suicidal ideation) and crisis services
Full-time licensed therapists and case managers at every elementary school and the middle school
Therapists and a care coordinator at the high school   Therapists are trained to provide assessment, individual and group counseling, and crisis intervention. They also assist with assessments and referrals for students needing medication management and/or wraparound services. Case managers and care coordinators, on the other hand, help build skills in the classroom and with parents/guardians, and they coordinate treatment in collaboration with therapists. It’s important to note that students must have parent/guardian permission to receive school-based mental health services. 

Our commitment to safety reflects our dedication to the whole child. We will continue to listen, learn and respond to meet the needs of every student. Thank you for your partnership and support in helping West Clermont Schools blaze new trails.