Ohio governor signs bill allowing school staff to be armed
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WSYX) — Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine on Monday signed a bill that allows school staff to be armed with reduced training and other measures meant to boost school security.
The Ohio Senate passed House Bill 99 on June 1 with a 23-9 vote. It was sent back to the House where it passed with a 56-34 vote.
The bill creates the Ohio Mobile Training Team, which would consist of licensed regional peace officers and armed forces veterans to partner with local schools to improve school safety and security services.
House Bill 99 reduces the hours of training for all armed school personnel from 700 to 24.
The training must consist of 24 hours of initial instruction, followed by eight annual hours, and include topics such as mitigation techniques. School boards may require more training and will have to notify parents if school personnel are authorized to be armed.
School personnel that are armed will get an annual criminal background check.
The bill's primary sponsor State Rep. Thomas Hall, R-Madison Twp., said he introduced the bill after his father, as serving as Madison High School resource officer, chased a shooter from the school back in 2016.
The bill was opposed by major law enforcement groups and gun control advocates, and supported by a handful of police departments and school districts.
