Have you ever had a safety concern about your school, but no idea of how to bring it to light? Have you ever had a bright idea for a school community project, but no idea of how to execute it? Have you ever seen super cool projects around your school, but no idea of where they came from? Chances are, the Ohio School Safety Advisory Council has a role to play.

Safety Council? What are you Talking About?

In 2022, Governor Mike DeWine announced the new Ohio Student Safety Advisory Council, a part of the existing Ohio School Safety Center, to be comprised solely by students, for students. The goal was to “identify school safety concerns and develop innovative solutions” for the various issues, as well as building a sense of community among schools around the state. The Council is open for high school juniors and seniors, allowing students to participate for multiple years. In 2022, 16 members were selected to participate in the inaugural council, and every year since, 16 members have been selected for the next year’s council, which includes some students serving a second term.

In the Council Students work alongside government zoned liaisons and advisors to develop projects. These include playing a large part in October’s School Safety Month, as well as many other events and projects done throughout the year. The most important job for Council Members is their Capstone project, which is worked on throughout the school year to be presented at the Ohio School Safety Summit in Columbus over the summer. Here, students develop a concept for an improvement to school safety and work with other students, educators, and experienced professionals to bring the concepts to life, presenting their pitch to the educators in attendance at the Summit. See the Ohio School Safety Center’s webpage for more information if you interested in applying and meet their listed criteria.

Mentor High’s Representative

Hi, my name is Nathan Colagross. I am a senior at MHS and a member of the 2025-2026 Ohio Student Safety Advisory Council. I had originally never heard of the Council until I was recommended to apply by Superintendent Craig Heath and then-Principal Jason Crowe. I applied last year in April via an online application and was informed of my acceptance into the Council in May, alongside 15 other Ohio students. Since then, I have participated in nearly a dozen meetings with Ohio Students and Government Staff to coordinate projects and our end-of-year capstone projects.

So far, myself and the Council have been responsible for a large part of School Safety Month in Ohio in October, in which multiple events ran, including drug awareness and school staff appreciation days, as well as the ongoing Frosty Favorites banner that currently exists in the Student Center. We also plan to complete projects on Teen Dating Violence month and Counseling week in February. At MHS, we also plan to host a Golden Ticket day for student drivers in April (Hint: Wear your seatbelt!) which will offer students the chance to win assorted prizes.

My largest ongoing work is on my Capstone project, which is centered around dangerous online groups, labeled Nihilistic Violence Extremist groups (NVE’s). These groups, found around on online platforms like Discord, Roblox, and many other places prey on teens and younger children, using manipulatory tactics to extort the children for often disturbing material, which can include pornographic content or self-harm, among many other heinous acts. My Capstone projects aims to raise awareness about these harmful online groups and offer students information and resources to avoid interactions with the NVE’s, or eliminate contact if it has been initiated. You can expect to see more about this later in March-May, and can attend the Ohio School Safety Summit from June 2-3 to see my presentation when my project is completed.

For now, please support any ongoing projects, like the Frosty Favorites wall and future activities when they arise. Younger students are also encouraged to look into the Council, and ask administration if they would be willing to support an application, as a recommendation from an administrator is required.

Please feel encouraged to reach out to me or our School Resource Officer (SRO), Officer Skelly, with any questions or information you would like to share. You can access the Ohio School Safety Center’s Safer Ohio School Tip Line anonymously by contacting 844-723-3764, available 24 hours a day, to share any information regarding school safety with school officials and law enforcement.