Ohio School Board Votes to Allow Trained Staff to Carry Firearms

According to Lynch and the school board, participation in the program would be 100 percent voluntary, and volunteers would be vetted via an extensive process before being approved.

• By Jessica Davis
• December 21, 2018

In a meeting Monday night, the Blanchester School Board in Blanchester, Ohio, voted unanimously to adopt a public resolution to allow trained staff members to carry firearms on campus.

“The Board of Education takes the safety of our children and staff very seriously. We feel that school safety can be dramatically enhanced by allowing certain trained individuals to possess and carry concealed firearms while on duty,” Blanchester Superintendent Dean Lynch told the News Journal.

According to Lynch and the school board, participation in the program would be 100 percent voluntary, and volunteers would be vetted via an extensive process before being approved.

Volunteers would have to submit a resume, and the board would choose interviewees and use a volunteer’s references to thoroughly vet them. The volunteer would then have to obtain a concealed-carry license and undergo firearms training.

Approved staff members would have to provide their own firearm and keep it on them at all times. The armed staff members’ identities would be anonymous, and students would not know who has a gun on campus.

The board has chosen to complete its training with “88 Tactical” via the Premier Shooting and Training Center. The training will be funded under the House Bill 318 “School Safety Training Grant.”

“This training focuses on an active killer response, medical trauma care, mindset, and general school safety and security,” Lynch said. “Part of the staff training will also be collaborating with our local police department. Individuals staff members will also be required to participate in ongoing training to remain certified to carry a weapon on our campus.”

The training will happen this summer, with the board authorizing staff members to carry firearms beginning fall 2019.