The Clinton County School Safety Commission held its annual meeting Friday morning in the public meeting room of the Clinton County Sheriff’s Office in Frankfort. Approximately 45 individuals, including school representatives from all four county schools as well as first responders such as fire, EMS and law enforcement from Clinton County.
Topics discussed including the after action report from the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Connecticut in addition to a Stop the Bleed presentation from Theresa Williams of IU Health and a Teen Texting Program presentation from Rhonda Jones of IU Health and Jennifer Flora from Mental Health America of Tippecanoe County.
“We look at how (topics) are going to impact the schools, but also how it’s going to impact the school community as well” said Rossville Consolidated Schools Superintendent Dr. Jim Hanna, who is also the chairman of the Clinton County School Safety Commission. “Schools are a reflection of society. So, if its happening in society, it’s happening in the schools.”
The Teen Texting Program is a new venture as it has been in business for two months in Tippecanoe County. Now, the organizers of the program are reaching out to schools in Clinton County for the first time to offer this service.
“We know on a national level that Indiana ranks as one of the top five states in the country in the percent of teenagers having thoughts of suicide, the percent of teenagers actually attempting suicide as well as a percent of teenagers completing suicide,” said Flora, who is the director for Mental Health America of Tippecanoe County.
Officials from all four schools talked about their safe school practices. In addition, Sergeant Matt Feterick of the Clinton County Sheriff’s Office talked about drug issues facing our communities and Clinton County Central Dispatch Director Renee Crick gave a presentation on Central Dispatch.