Annual OASSN summit brings schools, police, responders together for safety, preparedness
For nearly a decade, the Ottawa Area Secure Schools Network has brought together educators, law enforcement, fire and rescue personnel, medical professionals, and mental health responders who share a common commitment to strengthening the safety and security of schools in Ottawa County.
HUDSONVILLE — For nearly a decade, the Ottawa Area Secure Schools Network has brought together educators, law enforcement, fire and rescue personnel, medical professionals, and mental health responders who share a common commitment to strengthening the safety and security of schools across the Ottawa Area Intermediate School District service area.
Their second summit of the school year on March 11 focused on child exploitation guidance, regional crisis response teams and regional reunification centers.
“OASSN summits are designed to help districts stay ahead of emerging challenges while building practical skills for responding to incidents,” said Michael Rohwer, assistant superintendent of innovation, technology, information and security services for OAISD. “Whether the issue is safety threats, health emergencies, or severe weather, the goal is to ensure schools and community partners are prepared to respond together.”
The spring summit focused on building two regional response teams to assist districts alongside their internal teams using research-based response models. The OASSN Crisis Response Team provides mental health supports using the PREPaRE set of protocols, and the Regional Reunification Team utilizes the Standard Reunification Method to either assist a district's on-site reunification site or establish an off-site reunification center to offload that task from the district during an incident.
In addition to emergency preparedness, the summit also provided educators with guidance on recognizing the warning signs of human trafficking and how to connect students with the support and resources they may need.
Over 110 representatives from public, private, and charter schools, law enforcement agencies, emergency management, community organizations and fire departments attended the event, titled “Connecting to the Broader Network.”
Presenters included Victim Specialist Carmen Kucinich from the FBI, along with behavioral health consultants, social workers, and Multi-Tiered System of Supports consultants from Ottawa Area ISD.
The summit concluded with a tabletop exercise simulating a response to an emergency utilizing the OASSN Crisis Response and the Regional Reunification teams.
Another summit will take place in the fall.
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The Ottawa Area Secure Schools Network is a regional collaboration between public, private and charter schools, law enforcement agencies, and fire departments within the Ottawa Area Intermediate School District to work proactively toward maintaining and improving school safety.
Learn more at oassn.org.
— Submitted by the OAISD. To submit a news tip, email newsroom@ottawanewsnetwork.org.
