The new law enacted in Ohio may allow school districts to start arming employees this fall. The new law will require up to 24 hours of training before an employee can go armed, and up to eight hours of annual training. The training programs must be approved by the Ohio School Safety Center, and DeWine has ordered the center to require a maximum 24 hours and the maximum eight hours.
Schools may also opt to provide more training, according to DeWine.
The governor also unveiled several other school safety measures that he and legislators have promoted, including $100 million for school security upgrades and $5 million for improvements at colleges.
In order to give the required guidance, Ohio has added 28 employees to the school safety center and allocated $1.2 billion in wellness funding for schools to work on mental health and other issues.
The new law “is giving schools an option, based on their particular circumstances, to make the best decision they can make with the best information they have,” DeWine said.
The governor wants schools to have armed school resource officers but added that a new law offers districts a variety of options to keep children safe. He made it clear it is optional and not mandatory.
Ohio’s four largest cities’ mayors have called a news conference in the afternoon to call attention to gun violence in their communities, in stark contrast to the governor who they have condemned for signing the new bill. Democrat and gubernatorial hopeful Nan Whaley is also hosting a news conference this afternoon, denouncing the governor’s signing of the bill.
It was signed the same day a new law took effect that states that having a concealed weapons permit is optional for those legally allowed to carry a weapon.
Democrats have said the law sends the wrong message coming so soon after the shooting in Uvalde, Texas, in which 19 children and two teachers were killed. Republicans have argued that the law could have prevented such shootings. Lawmakers pushed the legislation to counter the impacts of a court ruling, saying current law states that armed school workers would need hundreds of hours of training.
A plan for hardening schools is opposed by a number of organizations including the California Association of Teachers and many law enforcement groups. Some groups and organizations, including some police departments and school districts, are in favor of the plan.
