Building a Culture of Safety in Schools

This document is a case study detailing the safety initiatives implemented by Westerville City School District in Ohio. The district serves nearly 15,000 students across 26 schools and has taken proactive measures to enhance safety and student wellbeing. It outlines the challenges posed by Ohio law regarding Behavioral Threat Assessment (BTA) teams, which require certified training every three years. The district established BTA teams in all schools and invested in access control systems to manage building security. The case study describes how Raptor Technologies' solutions, including PublicSchoolWORKS for training and Raptor VisitorSafe for visitor management, have streamlined compliance tracking and improved emergency response. It emphasizes the importance of creating a culture of safety, where staff members view safety as a shared responsibility. The results indicate compliance with training requirements, improved emergency coordination, and an embedded culture of safety across the district.