Guns in Ohio schools

By WILLIAM KINCAID
and LESLIE GARTRELL
newsdept@dailystandard.com

Some area school officials weighed in on a new law that would allow Ohio school districts to begin arming employees as soon as this fall.

While local officials issued neither strong support nor opposition for the law, some said they would look to their communities for guidance on whether to adopt such a policy. Others did not respond when contacted by the newspaper via email or phone calls.

House Bill 99, signed by Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine on Monday, requires up to 24 hours of training before an employee can be armed, and up to eight hours of annual training. The training programs must be approved by the Ohio School Safety Center, and DeWine announced he's ordering the center to require the maximum 24 hours and the maximum eight hours.

Schools can provide additional training if they wish, DeWine said.

"It is important to emphasize that the bill does not mandate the arming of school staff members but leaves the decision entirely to local school boards, which have the best understanding of the needs of their individual districts," reads a news release from DeWine's office.

The governor said his preference remains that school districts hire armed school resource officers, but said the law is another tool for districts that want to protect children. He emphasized that it's optional, not a requirement.

Celina City Schools

Celina City Schools Superintendent Ken Schmiesing was asked to comment on House Bill 99 before it was signed into law by DeWine. He was asked his position on the legislation and whether he would support enrolling school employees who volunteer for a firearm training program.

"We do like the thought that this is not a mandate, but does have the potential to provide local boards of education with the authority to take this action if they believe that their community would be supportive of such action," Schmiesing responded.

He also pointed out the district hired a school resource officer the past school year in conjunction with the city government. Officials "have been quite pleased with work that this individual has done for us," he said.

"SRO Miller has been involved in our work updating our school safety plans, along with the city of Celina police and fire departments, the EMA and EMS officials, and the Mercer County Sheriff. We look to continue our cooperative work efforts with all of these entities to provide safe environments for our students and staff members," he said.

Celina school board president Deb Guingrich was asked the same questions before the legislation was signed into law. She declined to comment until she has done further research.

Celina teachers union presidents Annie Homan and Tressie Sigmond did not respond to emails seeking comment.

Fort Recovery Local Schools

Fort Recovery Local Schools Superintendent Larry Brown said school districts in recent years have had options to implement training and operations that include provisions for staff to possess weapons on school grounds.

Asked for his thoughts on the law, Brown said he supports local control for all school policy issues.

Brown said Fort Recovery Police Chief Jared Laux and school district administrators met with Mercer County Law Enforcement officials to plan for active shooter training on school grounds this summer.

School staff can volunteer to participate in the on-site collaborative training. A date has yet to be announced for the exercise and the public will be notified of the training via law enforcement press releases and school district social media posts, Brown said.

Brown said there are no plans to discuss the law at the next school board meeting at 6:30 p.m. June 20 in the community room at the high school.

Crystal Fullenkamp, co-president of the Fort Recovery Education Association, said the law may raise more questions than immediate solutions to a problem that extends beyond schools.

At the same time, it also leads to more collaborative communication among staff, administratiors and law enforcement, she said.

"As a local educator and union member, it seems that the law provides local decision making in regards to school safety and training," she said. "In regards to the seriousness of this issue it is most appropriate that all parties work in cooperation and maintain open communication for what is best in keeping our students safe, and that we continue our ongoing commitment to our safety training and drills."

Parkway Local Schools

Parkway Local Schools Board of Education President Tal Bates said while he has always supported allowing staff to carry weapons in schools, he also believes the annual minimum training stipulated in the law is insufficient.

"I don't believe that the minimum training in the law is enough," he said. "The eight hours per year training after initial training is not enough. I have always been for staff to be able to carry weapons with the proper training and regulation, but that will have to be decided by the board and the community."

Asked for his thoughts on the law, Bates said he believes it needs to be discussed with administrators, teachers, board members and the community at large.

Bates added he personally supports psychiatric evaluations for school employees to carry a weapon on school grounds.

St. Henry Local Schools

Like many school administrators, St. Henry Local Schools Superintendent Julie Garke said she favors local control.

"We also favor local control which allows us to make decisions for what is best at the local level with community support," she said. "We are very fortunate and appreciative to have the support of the St. Henry Police Department, the Mercer County Sheriff Department and the other local police departments."

Garke said the state of Ohio requires annual active shooter training, which she said is completed by all the buildings in the district with the assistance of the St. Henry Police Department.

School board president Andy Fullenkamp during Monday's regular board meeting said the board will take direction from the community, noting he has not heard anything from the public so far.

Asked if he would support or oppose such a measure at the district, Fullenkamp said he did not know enough about the law to say.

St. Marys City Schools

In the wake of the Uvalde, Texas, mass school shooting, St. Marys school board members on June 9 met behind closed doors to discuss emergency response protocols and security arrangements.

Superintendent Bill Ruane after the June 9 meeting said district officials would need to research the law further to come up with a detailed plan of how such measures would be carried out.

Control measures such as how and where the weapon would be stored would need to be determined, he said.

Asked if he would support or oppose such a measure at the district, Ruane at the meeting said school officials need to see the law's language as it was passed before taking a position.

"We obviously need to see the final wording and how it would affect us, and then come up with how (or) if it would apply to our district and what we think of it," he said. "If it's something we move forward with, we'd definitely have a plan and be very selective (with) how it is carried out."

After the June school board meeting, Ruane said the risk of violence at schools is real and needs to be taken seriously.

"I wish that in this day and age we didn't have to consider it," he said. "But unfortunately those risks and threats are real, so we have to take precautions."

St. Marys school board president Chris Falk, when asked his position on the legislation and whether he supports enrolling school employees who volunteer for a firearms training program in the district, told the newspaper to refer such questions to the superintendent.

Other school districts

Coldwater Exempted Village Schools Superintendent Jason Wood and school board president Jim Miller did not respond to emails seeking comment on the legislation, nor did teachers union president and teacher Thad Forsthoefel.

New Bremen school board president Suzanne Wells, Minster school board president Katrina Nixon and Marion Local school board president Randy Bruns also did not respond to emails seeking comment on the legislation.

- Reporter Erin Gardner and The Associated Press contributed to this story.