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Garfield Heights City Schools

(216) 475-8100

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Safety Portal

Garfield Heights City Schools Safety Portal

 
The safety of students, staff, and visitors within our school buildings and on our transportation routes is of paramount and ongoing concern. Each day, we do our very best to provide a safe environment for all. Unfortunately, natural and man-made disasters do occur. Such emergencies are best met by preparedness and planning, not only from those of us within the district, but also from our families at home and our members of the community. Everyone plays a role in school safety – we can not do it alone. The District submits a revised safety plan annually to the State of Ohio for approval. The state makes that plan available digitally to all District municipal safety forces.
  1.  All buildings have been equipped with exterior door locks and a buzzer system for staff. 
  2. The high school and middle school have uniformed security guards and the elementary schools have security officers who rotate among all three buildings to maintain safety, peace, and order.
  3. The high school and middle school have metal detectors for entry into each building and these metal detectors are also used for our athletic events at the high school and middle school.
  4. The district has a Garfield Heights Police Department staff member who functions as a School Resource Officer at the high school.
  5. All district-owned buildings have multiple security/surveillance cameras inside and outside the facilities.
  6. We have over 50 mental health agencies available to work with our students and parents.
  7. Traffic patterns at Maple Leaf Elementary School have been changed to provide safer drop-off and pick-up of students.
  8. You can access the Help & Hope 24/7 Hotline at (216)570-8010 for any concerns you have about suicide, homelessness, or depression. 
  9. Each school has Emergency Management Safety Plans that have been approved by the Department of Homeland Security.
  10. You can use the Ohio School Safety Center/Safer Ohio School Tip Line to make a report about anything affecting student safety.  The number is (844)723-3764.
  11. All school buildings conduct Fire Drills, Tornado Drills, Lockdown Drills, and Shelter in Place Drills as mandated by Ohio law. 
 
 
Click on the links on the left to navigate through information regarding safety and security in our buildings. 
 
 
 
 

Safety Facts in Our District

1. Every May, we host Gun Safety programs for all 4th graders in the district. Each presentation includes a district School Resource Officer and a representative from the Garfield Heights City Hall. The purpose of the program is to teach children about the dangers of guns.  

2.  Annually, our building staff are provided with Tabletop Exercises that simulate real-life examples of potential dangers that can occur on school campuses. Staff are trained on how to respond to bomb threats, fires, hostage-taking, hazardous spills, and more.

3.  Each Fall, and when necessary, all of our schools participate in practice school evacuations. During Evacuation Week, all elementary schools and the Middle School practice an evacuation to the high school. The high school evacuates to Sts. Peter & Paul Church.

4.  Annually, the Middle School and Maple Leaf School conduct simultaneous practice walking evacuations to the Kmart parking (Middle School) and the empty parking lot on Turney Road across from Ace Hardware (Maple Leaf).
 
5. Students or parents in the school community can anonymously submit any suspicious activity, bullying or other student related issues to a school administrator(s). We encourage you to report important issues. Once you complete the contact form, you will receive a confirmation that your information has been submitted to the school district. Please follow this link.: