The Supreme Court on Wednesday ruled that if schools want employees to be armed, Ohio law requires them to have the same 728 hours of training that law enforcement officers get — much more than current practice.
The court’s ruling came in a case involving Madison schools, near Middletown, where policy allowed teachers and other employees who met a certain training standard to be armed during the school day.
Mad River Superintendent Chad Wyen said that’s very different from his schools, where the guns are locked up, but the impact is the same.
“We are certainly concerned with the ruling,” Wyen said. “The way it reads is that our staff would now have to complete the 700-plus hours of Ohio Peace Officer Training. We confirmed this with our legal council yesterday.”
Sidney Superintendent Bob Humble said his schools use the same “response team” protocol as Mad River. It’s unclear how many other schools keep guns, as school safety plans are not public records in Ohio. Back in 2017, Wyen said schools in 63 of 88 Ohio counties had a response team.
“Many districts kept their plan very confidential and did not disclose to anyone they have a team,” Wyen said.
Humble and Wyen both said the issue could come down to whether the state legislature acts quickly to adjust existing law.
State Rep. Thomas Hall, R-Madison Twp., this week cited an “urgent need” to pass House Bill 99 on this topic. He said the bill would allow teachers and school staff to carry guns on school property if they are licensed to carry a concealed weapon, and have the permission of the school board, based on standards they set.
“The Ohio General Assembly has a responsibility to give our school districts the option to protect their students and staff by embracing local control and establishing appropriate baseline training requirements for educators to carry a firearm,” Hall said.
Wyen said while Mad River’s policy doesn’t require the 728 hours of training, their standard is still high.
He said members of their response teams must have a concealed carry license, participate in the 24-hour Faster Saves Lives Training, annually qualify for an Ohio Peace Officer Training Academy Private Security Firearms Certificate, do monthly firing range practice and do annual force-on-force training with Riverside police.
Wyen said the district wants to provide an added layer of safety.
“This added layer is the difference between life and death when it comes to an active shooter in our schools,” he said. “We are not willing to compromise that added layer of safety and we encourage our legislators to take action.”
Rachel Bloomekatz, one of the attorneys representing Madison school parents, urged the legislature not to rush the issue as the state budget process wraps up next week.
“If any decisions are going to be made by the legislature, they should be based on extensive research, discussion with experts and not any decisions made behind closed doors,” she said.
Staff Writers Michael D. Pitman and Denise G. Callahan contributed to this story.
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