How Options Provides Support & Safety on Campus

As parents and teachers, we are constantly wondering how we can keep our students safe in an increasingly unknown world. That’s why it’s important that we do our part, in making sure students feel safe.

At Options Schools, we’ve found the most impactful way to do so is by providing multiple levels of support. Whether our students are struggling or thriving, it’s crucial they know they have someone who cares about them during this critical period in their lives. Read on to learn more about how we provide support and safety on campus. Contact Options Schools today!

Options Schools Safety & Security Department

Our schools have a safety team comprised of three trained professionals: Director of School Safety Joe Hopper, and Safety Specialists Jenny Hoshor and Troy Fettinger at Westfield and Noblesville, respectively. The department is focused on school safety and security as well as emergency preparedness. Even more, the safety team is responsible for student support, mental health support, and ensuring that students feel safe at all times on our campus.

“We learn what’s going to work for them and what’s not. We’re here to help them and guide them while keeping them safe. Building the relationship with the kids to help them as a whole and supporting them as they need–that is a huge part of our job,” says Jenny Hoshor, School Safety Specialist at Options Westfield.

What Are the Functions of the Safety & Security Team?

Student Safety

Options Schools establish multiple layers of support in place to make sure all students feel safe, cared for, and supported throughout their time here. The roles of the Safety and Security team involve meeting with parents, working policies and procedures with other schools, setting up emergency preparedness plans, and completing exercises to prepare for those situations.

“We’re first responders,” says Director of School Safety Joe Hopper. “If anything happens in our building, we go running to the danger, we’re willing to put our life on the line to protect any of these kids.”

Student Support

On a daily basis, our Safety and Security Department connects with our students and employees to create a relationship of trust and open communication.

According to Hopper, “Our relationships come first. If we build that relationship, these students really believe that they belong in our schools. Once they feel they belong in our schools, they start taking pride in what they’re doing. And once they take pride in what they’re doing, then they can achieve whatever it is that they want.”

The Safety and Security Department has worked hard to establish a mental health management team within Options. They are currently establishing behavioral identifiers that they can use to help support students however they may need. “For the most part, we’re here to be the voice for them or that ear for them to vent to and to handle their emotions. Because while it may not be the biggest problem in our life, it’s the biggest problem in their life,” says Hopper.

Options Schools: Creating a Brighter Future

Here at Options, we believe in providing multiple levels of support to our students. Our schools are based on the idea that no two children are exactly alike, and therefore require individualized academic opportunities. The same goes for their social and emotional well-being. At the end of the day, we want every student at our schools to feel safe and supported!

To our community of staff members and families, our Safety and Security Department is a clear testament to the mission of our schools. “It just shows how Options is special, and now Options Schools is old enough where we have Options graduates enrolling their students here. It’s amazing that these families have a place that they loved and trusted so much that they trust us with their own kids now,” says Hoshor.

Are located in the state of Indiana and long for a safe and supportive educational setting for your child? Contact Options Schools to schedule a tour!