DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN) — Dayton Christian School officials say they are deeply saddened by the senseless act of violence in Nashville, and they are doing their best to make sure their school does not have to feel that pain firsthand.
2 NEWS spoke with Dayton Christian about the unique safety precautions they have in place to protect their students.
Dayton Christian officials say it’s one of the few private schools in Ohio that has a school resource officer, and the head of the schools say they are grateful for that protection every day.
Head of Dayton Christian, Dr. John Gredy spoke about the tragic shooting at The Convenant School, a private Christian school in Tennessee that left six people dead, including three 9-year-old children.
Dr. Gredy said that he and the administration at Dayton Christian sprang into action looking at how they could make their school even safer. One thing they already have in place is a school resource officer. Dr. Gredy says that’s incredibly rare for a private school in Ohio, but Gredy says it’s essential.
“We immediately started to look at our situation and be prepared because you never know if this would go beyond that school,” Dr. Gredy said.
“To have someone like him here, to have presence, to not only be a prevention by his very presence, but also to continue to direct us in areas where we might need to improve, such as drills, etc.”
In addition to drills, Dayton Christian is also doing its best to prepare in other ways.
Gredy said they have state of the art alert systems that instantly contacts police, barricades to close off classrooms, cameras and badge access throughout the building.
Dayton Christian has also had a partnership with the Miami Township Police Department for the last 3 years.
“We can’t stay on cruise control. We always have to do better. And we don’t always have to change what we always have to do better,” James Swearingen, Dayton Christian resource officer, said.
“So right now, is what we’re doing the best for Dayton Christian. You know, it may not be the best for somewhere else, but is it the best for Dayton Christian, and is it an industry standard?”
Following the tragic shooting in Nashville, Dayton Christian says they plan to send out letters to families of their students to address the situations and show support to anyone who made need it.
