Effective: March 24, 2021
Latest Legislation: House Bill 123 - 133rd General Assembly
(A) Beginning with the first full school year that begins after the effective date of this section, each local, city, exempted village, and joint vocational school district shall register with the SaferOH tip line operated by the department of public safety or enter into an agreement with an anonymous reporting program of the district's choosing. The reporting program shall meet the following requirements:
(1) Operate twenty-four hours per day, seven days per week;
(2) Forward reported information to and coordinate with the appropriate school threat assessment teams and law enforcement and public safety agencies required under the school's emergency management plan developed under section 5502.262 of the Revised Code;
(3) Be promoted in each district school to inform students about the reporting program and its reporting methods;
(4) Comply with sections 149.433 and 3319.321 of the Revised Code and the "Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974," 20 U.S.C. 1232g.
Each district that enters into an agreement with an anonymous report program provider shall specify in the agreement that the provider shall annually submit a report to the department of public safety and the department of education of the number of anonymous reports made through the reporting program and the method by which they were received, disaggregated by school.
(B) Each district shall submit data to the department of education, in a manner prescribed by the department, and the department of public safety at the end of the first full school year of the district's participation in the SaferOH tip line or an alternative anonymous reporting program, and at the end of each school year thereafter, disaggregated by school. The data shall include the following:
(1) The number and type of disciplinary actions taken in the previous school year as a result of anonymous reports;
(2) The number and type of mental wellness referrals as a result of anonymous reports;
(3) The race and gender of the students subject to the disciplinary actions and mental wellness referrals as a result of anonymous reports;
(4) Any other information the department of education or the department of public safety determines necessary.
(C) Any data collected by the SaferOH tip line or an anonymous reporting program or reported to the department of education or department of public safety pursuant to this section are security records and are not public records pursuant to section 149.433 of the Revised Code.