School Safety is Part of Obama's Gun Control Plan

President Barack Obama presented a sweeping set of gun control recommendations on Wednesday, with many focused directly on increasing safety measures in schools.

According to the Politics K-12 blog, the proposals signal a shift in federal priorities—the proposals ask for increases in school safety and mental health counseling funding, areas the administration has sought to cut in the budget in recent years.

Check out the Politics K-12 post for a more in-depth look at the proposals, which includes creating model emergency response plans for institutions like schools and providing $50 million for training for professionals like social workers and counselors who plan to work with young adults.

The full text of the plan can also be found on the White House website.

The local school safety conversation

In the month since the , this issue has been at the forefront of conversations across the country, including Northeast Ohio. School districts from North Canton to Lakewood to Mentor have taken the issue on, opting to strengthen their ID policy for visitors and looking for ways to identify students that need extra support.

In Strongsville, the district already provides a resource officer at Strongsville High School -- something the president is encouraging.

Safety Director Charles Goss said after the Newtown shootings that the police department and schools were taking a fresh look at their crisis and safety plans.

"School safety has been our priority," he said.

Police Chief Jim Kobak said Strongsville's plan starts with a school resource officer and two DARE officers, who are trained to detect troubled children -- and intervene quickly.

The effort also includes zone officers who patrol around school buildings daily -- and often stop in to talk with staff -- and a tactical operations plan in the event of a crisis.

Kobak said the department has regular drills with the schools, seeking feedback and adding updates.