The Spartan Blog

It’s one of those topics that rarely comes up in casual conversation although it is a common question from families interested in sending their kids to CCS…what security measures are in place at Calvary? The truth is, I think every school would say safety is a priority and we’d be no different. Every year we evaluate our campuses and look for ways to improve the safety of our students and peace of mind for our families. When you go through ALICE or other types of safety training, it’s regularly mentioned that schools have many fire and tornado drills each year, but data says those are hardly the events that threaten safety. So, while this article won’t share all our safety information (some is confidential for security purposes), we wanted to provide an update on what processes are in place and what’s new. 

Ohio recently passed a bill called HB99. This bill outlined a new 24-hour class that school personnel would be required to take to be a member of a school’s armed security response team. This summer, Calvary was able to put double digit staff members through this class, which included training on first aid and a shooting range certification. As part of our security plan, these HB99 approved staff members are armed each day and are at both campuses.       

We have also made improvements to our existing security measures this summer by improving our security doors with new software at Rush campus. You’ll notice the new unit on the entry doors near our Rush Campus main office. There’s still a button to press and have the door unlocked. We’ll have improved visibility and communication abilities with this unit.  

We’ve also added cameras to our CR9 campus as well as magnetic locks for all exterior doors at CR9, including phase 1 and the new phase 2 building that’s being built now. This will give us the ability to immediately lockdown either facility. All CR9 and Rush campus academic areas are also outfitted with anchorman units which can be engaged from the inside to lock our doors.  

Calvary is also a member of the Ohio School Safety Center. This is an Ohio agency that we stay in compliance with regarding our safety plans. Each summer we communicate with local law enforcement to discuss safety plans and get approval from local EMS, Fire, and Police.  

Psalm 27:1 tells us “The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?”. We’re actually told over 350 times in scripture to “fear not”, so we don’t want to be people that are gripped by fear or overwhelmed by the what-ifs of life. We want to be diligent in our work and careful in our thoughtfulness and planning, but ultimately, we want to be people that rely on God and recognize that He is the stronghold of our lives.

Ryan Hyde