Ohio Student Safety Council Application Period Open

Ohio Homeland Security sent this bulletin at 04/06/2022 03:17 PM EDT

Ohio Student Safety Council

Application Period Open

Governor DeWine and the Ohio School Safety Center (OSSC) recently announced the creation of the Ohio Student Safety Advisory Council which will include two representatives from each of the five school safety regions (NW, NE, Central, SW, SE). Candidates will submit application materials and short essays along with a recommendation letter written by educators, school resource officers, school counselors, or administrators.

School safety programs are designed to protect students, but students are often not given a seat at the table when it comes to creating programs for their benefit. Involving students in identifying safety concerns and creating innovative solutions to promote safety and wellness provides a new avenue for violence and self-harm prevention.

Benefits of Joining

Being a member of this statewide student council enables students to ensure their voice is heard when it comes to school safety. They will learn more about the diversity of current school and student safety-related issues, develop government relations and leadership skills, and be exposed to how government agencies work together from the federal, state, and local level.

Eligibility Requirements

Students must be entering grade 11 for the 2022-2023 school year.
A completed application and nomination letter must be submitted together to the OhioSchoolSafetyCenter@dps.ohio.gov email address prior to the deadline to be considered.
Serve a one-year term and will be required to attend monthly virtual meetings and one in-person meeting in Columbus for the annual School Safety Summit hosted during the summer months.
Students will have the opportunity to be involved in additional events both in-person and remotely throughout their term.
Council members should plan to spend no fewer than ten hours per month on group activities/work, though that number could be even higher depending on the exact responsibilities a member volunteers to do or is assigned to complete.

What type of activities will you be part of?

Council members will identify concerns about safety from their peers and create local subcommittees to develop innovative solutions. Findings will be presented to the Governor’s Ohio School Safety Working Group to generate statewide solutions and supports. These findings and innovative solutions will also be presented in an exhibit hall format at the annual school safety summit to highlight student achievements in implementing peer support programs and safety teams in their schools.

Council members will devise ways to get students more engaged with safety in their schools and communities and will be an advocate for student wellbeing. Students will also work directly with the regional school safety liaisons from the OSSC to organize events, focus groups, and trainings in their regions to help highlight student success and safety best practices at various schools.

These members will also act as a sounding board for the Governor’s Ohio School Safety Working Group and OSSC on student marketing campaigns and projects to ensure a student voice is represented.

Deadline to apply is May 6, 2022 – 11:59 p.m.

Candidates selected to move forward with the process will be asked to attend a virtual interview. The OSSC plans to announce the student council member selections by the end of May. Use the link below to download the application. Visit our website for more student information.

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