For the people responsible for 4,000 students district wide in Green Local Schools, the issue of safety and potential gun violence is personal.
"When it comes close you see it in a different focus," says school board member, Katie Stoynoff.
Administrators turned that focus squarely on the people of Green Local Schools, especially the 300 plus parents who showed up a few months ago asking for more safety measures.
This is what they came up with:
- 4 more safety officers from the Summit County’s Sheriff’s Department so that all five schools have one.
- 2 full-time family support specialists on 2 care teams to flag students who need help beyond academics. The care teams would address mental health and even help keep kids from coming to school hungry.
- Elementary school mental health consultant
- Building safety upgrades (security cameras etc).
Now it's up to voters on Tuesday to approve a tax levy for all of the above.
It breaks down to essentially $35 a year per $100,000 dollars assessed home value.
“We’re telling people is it’s a Starbucks per month," said Stoynoff.
She adds that the safety plan was crafted along with the Ohio Department of Homeland Security and the Summit County Sheriff’s Office.
"There were hours upon hours of research and consultation that went into what we will be doing with revenue from the levy. Still we know there are no 100% guarantees. Green Local Schools is not saying this levy is 100% guaranteed. What this levy is, is a step towards safety. As they say, moving the needle," says Stoynoff.