Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine discusses a law that gives school districts the option of arming trained school employees, on Monday, June 13, 2022, in Columbus, Ohio. | Andrew Welsh-Huggins/AP Photo
By Associated Press
06/13/2022 05:19 PM EDT
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio school districts could begin arming employees as soon as this fall under a bill signed into law Monday by GOP Gov. Mike DeWine.
The law, as enacted, requires 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 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.
Before announcing the bill signing, the governor outlined several other school safety measures he and lawmakers have promoted, including $100 million for school security upgrades in schools and $5 million for upgrades at colleges.
The state is also adding 28 employees to the school safety center to work with districts on safety issues and to provide training under the new law. Ohio has also provided $1.2 billion in wellness funding for schools to address mental health and other issues, the governor said.
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 said his preference remains that...
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