Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost is rolling out a new training program geared towards teaching law enforcement and officials how to assess potential risks of violence at schools.
The Ohio School Threat Assessment Training is a 3-hour course available for free to anyone who wants to learn more about preventing school violence.
The assessment should help teachers, school administrators, and law enforcement identify people of concern, assess their risk of violence or harm, and create intervention strategies.
Yost says subtle changes in a student's behavior can be a warning sign, and this training program is meant to help people recognize those subtleties.
"Also to bring a lot of different viewpoints into the threat assessment team," says Yost.
Stark County officials, who have implemented these guidelines, say they have seen success in reaching a student before they carry out harm to themselves or others.