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Education

‘A Means to Protect’: Ohio School Board Votes Unanimously to Allow Custodial Staff to Carry Handguns

Jan. 11, 2013 4:17pm Jason Howerton

Credit: Getty Images

The Montpelier Exempted Village Schools Board of Education on Wednesday voted 5-0 to allow its custodial staff to carry handguns on school property.

The affirmative vote will allow four custodians to take handgun training and carry handguns at the K-12 campus at Williams County School. The School board had been considering arming employees for nearly six months but first announced the plans during Wednesday’s meeting.

School officials say having armed personnel on campus will help prevent incidents like the tragic shooting in Newtown, Conn. in December. The school system is believed to be the first in Ohio to allow staff to be armed.

The school district will reportedly pay for a two-day training class March for the employees. Instructors with the Tactical Defense Institute of West Union, Ohio, will give them a defense class on handgun use in Montpelier.

“Sitting back and doing nothing and hoping it doesn’t happen to you is just not good policy anymore,” Superintendent Jamie Grime told The Toledo Blade. “There is a need for schools to beef up their security measures…Having guns in the hands of the right people are not a hindrance. They are a means to protect.”

School board President Larry Martin said the Sandy Hook massacre, in which 20 children and six staff were killed, expedited the school board’s decision to arm its staff.

“Our main goal is to offer safety for our students while they are in the classrooms and in the building,” he said. “We have to do something and this seems like the most logical, reasonable course to go with.”

“Mr. Grime said their legal counsel advised that Ohio’s gun law allows for school boards to authorize employees to possess weapons on school grounds if they pass the requirements of the concealed-carry law,” The Blade reports.

(H/T: Gawker)

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Comments (93)

tefarah
Posted on January 13, 2013 at 12:05pm
Not once have I heard or seen anything about other methods of protecting our children and/or public places other than putting a gun in the hands of someone who is not properly conditioned to make calm decisions and truly be able to kill another person. This takes time to learn and not everyone has the mental makeup to do so. I agree that we do need guns to help protect our innocent ones but that should be a last resort, not a knee-jerk reaction.

One of the sad things in America is the lack of use of properly trained dogs to protect our safety. Europe uses dogs a lot for many things we in America never think of. At least one dog with handler in a school would at least put the potential killer on alert. Dogs are extremely reliable and can reach a gunner much quicker than a person. The dog is zeroed in on the killer and will go over obstacles , such as children lying on the floor, to reach his target. A good dog can bring down the target and keep him at bay until help arrives. A dog plus a properly trained gun handler would pose a very serious threat to anyone trying to harm our public.

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cdb
Posted on January 13, 2013 at 9:09am
Only a brain dead moron would not wnat the schools to have armed personel to protect their children. Either that or they don’t care if their own children get killed or not. If they are left leaning idiots, both probobly apply.

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power_cord
Posted on January 12, 2013 at 2:10pm
This is wrong on many levels.
1. Why don’t we just advertise who the good guys/girls with guns are so they can be taken out first?
2. What if the janitor don’t/can’t/won’t train to be efficient?
3. What if the janitor develops a grudge against a student or member of the faculty?
4. Where is the school resource officer? They must train together.
5. Do the janitors get paid proficiency or hazardous duty pay?

Things brings a whole new meaning to “cleaning things up” or “taking out the trash”. They would need to reword their contracts a bit.

I see too many things going wrong here in an effort to “even the field”. Ohio, please reconsider your plan and instead paying for the janitors to arm up, pay a sworn law enforcement officer or retired veteran, if necessary.

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jessieH
Posted on January 12, 2013 at 12:33pm
Well, it’s a sep in the right direction but everyone in the schools should at least know how to handle a weapon, even if it’s just a CO2 BB pellet gun.

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jlightning1
Posted on January 12, 2013 at 11:46am
Maybe the “Journal News” should post the names and addresses of schools that have armed security or maybe the names of the ones that don’t.. My guess is that will cause a quick beef-up of security in those districts that are worried more about political correctness than truly defending children in a worst case situation. Anti gun debates are not going to protect kids in a crisis like what happened in Sandy Hook.. It is odd that after the crap hits the fan in a school, the call goes in for the guys with the guns to come and stop the intruder to bad that arrives 10 min too late.. So it seams to me that if a school district does not have on site armed security of some kind in place now , it may be that the local school board has a severe learning disability..

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david3755
Posted on January 12, 2013 at 9:28am
Well good morning Ohio! How does that coffee smell after waking up?

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phernandez
Posted on January 12, 2013 at 12:23am
It would seem to me a well trained armed security officer or police officer would be the best person for this.

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Maxim Crux
Posted on January 11, 2013 at 10:22pm
While they are at it, let them have the ability to use a paddle on the kids that act up. It works.

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South Philly Boy
Posted on January 11, 2013 at 9:23pm
Excellent

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pahrumper
Posted on January 11, 2013 at 8:38pm
The 2A is not about me going out to shoot a deer or protect myself from a burgler, I can take care of that with a ball bat, it is about me being able to defend my self from an out of controll gov and the Muslims Camel humpers gov is a prime example of that need. In my life I do not remember ever being conerned about a gov out of control like I am now

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JJBlazeReader
Posted on January 11, 2013 at 7:36pm
..

I agree. I mentioned this in my blog about a month ago.

http://imhobyjj.wordpress.com/2012/12/18/some-thoughts-on-newtown/

..

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Advection
Posted on January 11, 2013 at 7:22pm
Wow! Sanity has broken out in Ohio. I guess they’re more concerned about their children’s lives than politics.

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rwinestock
Posted on January 11, 2013 at 6:44pm
Here’s the problem with that. Teachers and staff that are currently on ANTI-DEPRESANTS. Beck and everyone out there, stop sucking the tit of bigPharma. Anti-depressants are a $86 billion a year industry, with an additional $10 billion spent on advertising. Hello! Kids and young adults are not the problem. Anti-depressants are clearly the underlying agent. Even 1st person shooter games are only an add-on to the hallucinogenic state. With 11% of adults on anti-depressants and 24% of women between 40-59, who’s to say it won’t happen caused by one of these zombies. STOP SUPPORTING DRUG COMPANIES BECK and the rest of talk radio. You know that we know that they pay your bills. Sorry, but you are nothing but hypocrites until you start slamming and naming names of CEO’s of companies like Pfeizer and Ely-Lilly and their connections via lobbyists to specific congressman. This has got to stop. Never mind the argument over guns. Attack what is unpopular, but true this time. It’s for the KIDS.

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right field
Posted on January 11, 2013 at 6:39pm
Finally a School Board that is willing to do the right thing and not cave into PC stupidty and risk the children and adults to criminal / nut jobs who would seek to murder others for their own notoriety. Bet the Marxist / idiot teachers unions will oppose any move on the part of schools boards to protect the children? That will be the next headline.

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thegreatcarnac
Posted on January 11, 2013 at 6:35pm
I am glad someone will be armed but…..the custodial staff??? I can see a teacher or two with guns but ….the janitors???? When I was in school the janitors already had guns……they were a bunch of thugs. LOL. If they didn’t have guns…they had switchblades. We could borrow cigarettes from them when we wanted to. They were pretty good guys…..but …….arm them……on purpose…..I guess it will work.

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EPROM
Posted on January 11, 2013 at 6:21pm
This is a great idea! After they blow the shooter’s head off …they can mop up the mess!

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TwoMinuteMan
Posted on January 11, 2013 at 6:14pm
If their school is anything like ours people can only enter through the front door after a certain time. Whoever is in the office should also be getting training. I’d like to see schools start letting their staff carry taser guns.

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Truthbomb
Posted on January 11, 2013 at 6:11pm
This is the answer. All of the schools staff should be given the opportunity to take a gun safety course specifically geared on how to protect their classroom. Why isn’t every school moving in this direction?

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TwoMinuteMan
Posted on January 11, 2013 at 6:10pm
I understand school districts hesitation to allow staff to CC. I’m going to try to have a discussion with our teachers to get a vote on allowing staff to carry taser guns. A lot less lethal but nobody will get killed by mistake.

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TwoMinuteMan
Posted on January 11, 2013 at 6:08pm
I’m glad to see people doing something. I would like to see teachers and administration authorized to carry taser guns. Yes they hurt like hell but there is a lot less chance of one going missing and getting a kid killed.

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BehindBlueEyes
Posted on January 11, 2013 at 5:23pm
“We have to do something and this seems like the most logical, reasonable course to go with.”

What it’s called is common sense. The defense of children is only as good as its weakest link. If you don’t have people on site that are able to stop an attacker then you have to wait for the police. The NRA has it right.

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Metallicat
Posted on January 11, 2013 at 5:15pm
I dont think teachers should be carrying in the classrooms. I have seen teachers overpowered numerous times by students in my years in the public education system. Principals,vice principals and other school administrators should carry to add extra security to schools,but I dont think every single teacher should carry a gun,and one is not needed in every single classroom. the ones who are actually carrying should only be known to Law enforcement and the school administrators,and should be well trained in gun safety.

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common cents
Posted on January 11, 2013 at 5:13pm
Finally, the pendulum starts to swing back the other, and might I say most “rational” direction.

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zetuff
Posted on January 11, 2013 at 5:07pm
when will the people wake up..the sandyhook was just a drill and a good drill.. notice the media has stopped all contact and follow up on this story… wheres the final reports .why are there no more interviews .. the drill is over.. and the american people bought it.someone needs to get to newton and find these people.. i bet.. you cant find any of them.. it was only a drill.. sold to the people and being used to take away semi auto weapons. god help us all how stupid can you be..

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- catty
  Posted on January 11, 2013 at 8:42pm
  Tell the parents of the children it was just a drill you disrespectfull idiot.
  
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GoodCook
Posted on January 11, 2013 at 5:03pm
First time I’ve seen a school board act sensibly…..Screw the radical tryranical Democrats party and its ignorant voters. Oh, and if you don’t like it pull your kids out and put them in another less safe school protected by radial Democrat provided stickers disallowing guns in the building…..They really work don’t you know!

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