Summit Denies School Safety Grant Request

Officials with the Summit County Emergency Management Agency have denied a request for from the Stow Safety Task Force.

Munroe Falls Police Chief Rick Myers and Dave Licate, both members of the task force, had submitted an application to the county EMA office asking for the grant money to train teachers, staff, police officers and others to identify "at-risk" or suspicious behavior by students of Stow-Munroe Falls Schools.

The risk assessment training is a security method the task force talked about in February when Stow psychologist Dr. Alfred Grzegorek presented the idea to the group.

Robert Ross, chair of the Summit EMA executive committee, said the grant request was denied in part because of a larger conversation taking place in the state.

"There was a discussion by membership on how many communities and schools have been conducting active trainings and exercises, as well as the Ohio State Attorney General's Office formation of a School Safety Task Force," Ross wrote in a letter to Myers. "Law enforcement representation felt it would be beneficial to see what best practices came from this task force."

Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine's task force released guidelines for school building safety in December.

Myers said he's hopeful the at-risk analysis training is something the Stow community can pursue again some time in the future.

"Although the grant was declined, I would like to publicly thank Dr. David Licate from the University of Akron for putting together an outstanding package and presentation to the committee," Myers said. "I believe the project would have been a worthwhile endeavor."