OSSA Policy and Legislative Recommendations

1)      Clarify the Definition of Victim to Eliminate Varying Incident Reports:

Incident reporting is a key component of the work of OSSA. Incident reports and accompanying information are received from two separate offices within the District, which at times have a different determination of the act of violence and whether a student is deemed to be a victim. OSSA would recommend adding a definition of 'victim' within the School Code to provide clarity as to which individuals are clearly 'victims' and thus are eligible for assistance from OSSA.

2)      Reduce Delays in Data Reporting:

Incidents are reported to the OSSA on a daily basis; however, incidents are not reported on a 'real-time' basis. That is, incidents are generally two weeks to months old before they are officially reported to OSSA.  Many times, schools do not report the incident on time to the incident control unit. This hinders the ability to provide timely assistance to victims. OSSA would recommend that the District improve training and/or policies and procedures on incident reporting so that victims can receive immediate assistance.

3)      Eliminate Differences in Reporting:

Annually, OSSA conducts a study to compare the information that is submitted to PDE and that to the OSSA. For the 2021-22 school year, 9,765 incidents were reported to PDE compared to the 4,223 reported to the OSSA. These discrepancies in data raise the question as to whether or not all victims that are eligible for assistance through OSSA are known to the Office.

4)      Improve Information Access and Training:

Incoming information to the OSSA should be streamlined or provided to an approved OSSA staff member with access to certain school files so that there are no discrepancies in incident reporting.  All staff members of the District should receive training on how to properly code and provide incident reports and how to properly identify students who are victims.  Again, OSSA recommends defining what a victim is in the Public School Code so that everyone is knowledgeable of how to code them in their reporting.

5)      Provide Educational Alternatives for Disruptive Students with Individualized Education Plans (IEPs):

Some classrooms and schools face challenges with certain students who have IEPs that have engaged in threatening, aggressive, or abusive behavior. As that behavior may be the result of the student's identified disability, it can be difficult for the school to take appropriate measures to handle the situation while ensuring an uninterrupted learning environment for other students.  To address this issue effectively, it could prove beneficial to explore an educational alternative where such students receive specialized education outside of their regular classroom setting. This approach aims to cater to their unique needs while maintaining a conducive learning atmosphere for all students.