Ohio School District Mulls Arming teachers

An Ohio school district is considering arming teachers and staff members in the event of an active shooter situation at its schools.

According to the Dayton Daily News, the Riverside Local School District board members talked about the idea last week, and they’ll reconsider it on Dec. 16. Public forums are also scheduled. Superintendent Scott Mann said the policy could be a deterrent from possible threats.

“If people know you are protected and that can help us a little bit more, I’m all for it,” Mann said. “Just to reiterate — it’s going to be a community decision.”

As the Daily News reports, Mann stopped short of supporting the concept of arming teachers in the classroom.

“I do not want guns on teachers in the classroom,” Mann said. “I think that’s one of the worst safety plans you can have.”

Rather, Mann supports a system used in Sidney City Schools, which places 30 loaded handguns strategically around its seven school buildings. Each handgun is locked in a box that can only be accessed by a fingerprint. 27 staff members and seven security officers receive first responder training for active shooter situations and have access to the guns.

The Daily News said that the program has been successful at Sidney schools, where it is in its second year.

However, any implementation of such a policy in Riverside Local School District is still in the infancy stage. Stay tuned.