More than 110 Ohio school districts and schools have armed staff members

More than 70 Ohio school districts and 15 Christian schools have staff members who are authorized to carry weapons on school grounds, according to the Ohio School Safety Center. 

A mix of 116 school districts and independent schools have armed staff members, as of June 17. Many of the schools are rural, but there are some urban and suburban districts. 

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine signed a bill into law in 2022 that grants local boards of education authority to decide whether to allow their teachers and school workers to carry firearms.

It lowered the required training hours for armed personnel from 700 hours to at least 24, but school boards have the authority to mandate more hours. 

“It’s not a sufficient amount of training,” said Ohio Federation of Teachers President Melissa Cropper. 

“We’re talking about highly intense situations that require a lot of not only tactical training on how to use weapons. but how to deal with making split second decisions.” 

She testified against the bill when it was in the legislature in 2021. 

“I wish that (the lawmakers) would trust us with what we’re actually trained to do, which is to educate students,” Cropper said. “We are firm believers in local control around issues, but we still think it is bad policy for schools to allow teachers to carry guns.”

The law did grandfather in some school districts that had previous training, as long as the training met the requirements of the law. 

There have been more than 430 school shootings since Columbine in 1999, according to The Washington Post. 

Antwerp Local Schools in Paulding County has had a few armed staff members for years. The rural school district has about 700 students and about 100 staff members. 

Police response was the main factor in the decision to arm staff, said district superintendent Marty Miller.

Antwerp has a police department, but they also rely on the sheriff’s department about 10 miles away. 

“Our concern for us was if there was a situation that unfolded, what kind of law enforcement could we get here, and how fast,” Miller said. 

“What we could get here if we needed law enforcement obviously was not going to be sufficient. His party can be over for the bad guy in terms of accomplishing what he wants to accomplish.”

The district currently has four staff members who are armed and receive training each year, Miller said. The district also has a school resource officer. 

“We are confident that they will respond if needed, and that they are there just gives us a better feeling when something happens,” Miller said. 

The district decided not to arm any teachers, but rather staff members who are moving around during the day. 

The district wants people to know they have armed staff members. 

“If it can be a deterrent — and what may appear that there’s only one police officer in town, kind of thing, but there are armed staff — that might convince a bad person who has intentions, ‘maybe I won’t go near that place’ because of that,” Miller said. 

“It’s just letting the public know that your children are protected.”

Euclid City Schools Board of Education in Cuyahoga County decided to arm some of the district’s staff in 2022, said district spokesperson Dominick Ferlito. 

All of their armed employees are Ohio Peace Officer Training Academy trained.

“Our top priority is providing students and staff with a safe, welcoming environment where students are free to learn, create and reach their full potential,” Ferlito said in an email. 

“We continue to work closely with local law enforcement and safety partners to regularly review and strengthen our safety procedures and protocols.”

Follow Ohio Capital Journal Reporter Megan Henry on X or on Bluesky.