On October 1, 2005, the Lucas County Educational Service Center (now known as the Educational Service Center of Lake Erie West) was awarded $498,125.00 in grant funding from the U.S. Department of Education Office of Safe and Drug Free Schools to develop a program of Emergency Response and Crisis Management for area school districts. Lucas County Educational Service Center was one of 93 grant winners selected from school districts throughout the country in the 2005 grant competition.

This grant enabled the Educational Service Center to work with area school districts to develop regional proactive emergency preparedness programs and crisis response plans The plan included security and vulnerability assessments of school facilities; updating each district’s comprehensive emergency management plan to the latest Department of Homeland Security standards; and conducting extensive training and exercises with school district administrators and staff. The Educational Service Center coordinated these activities with officials from local police and fire departments that serve the participating school districts; the Lucas County Sheriff;  the Lucas County Emergency Management Agency; the Lucas County Mental Health and Recovery Services Board; the Toledo-Lucas County Health Health Department; and the Lucas County Board of Developmental Disabilities to ensure that crises – whether school or community-originated – are addressed quickly and effectively through an integrated approach.

Participating school districts included:

• Anthony Wayne Local Schools
• Maumee City Schools
• Oregon City Schools
• Ottawa Hills Local Schools
• Perrysburg Exempted Village Schools
• Rossford Exempted Village Schools
• Springfield Local Schools
• Sylvania City Schools
• Washington Local Schools

Representatives from the Catholic Diocese were also invited to participate in project training activities.