Ohio’s New Richmond Exempted Village School District isn’t messing around with student safety, and officials there want the public to know what’s up.
Signs installed outside schools during the Christmas break read, “Attention: Please be aware that the staff may be armed and will use whatever force is necessary to protect our students and staff.”
“It’s just so that everybody understands the importance of, if they’re about to make a bad decision, what the repercussions could be,” Superintendent Tracey Miller told WCPO. “We don’t want there to be any vagueness.”
The change stems from Ohio House Bill 99, approved in 2022 to allow schools to arm staff members on campus as a means of bolstering student safety. More than 60 school districts have submitted rosters for their armed staff to the state since, according to the most recent Department of Public Safety data.
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“After almost two years of consultation with our fantastic local law enforcement and first responders, we have crafted a set of guidelines for arming staff we believe will make our district safer for our staff and our students,” according to a New Richmond statement cited by WLWT. “The installation of these signs throughout campus represents the final step in that process as approved staff members are now permitted to carry concealed weapons on campus as of (Thursday), the beginning of the second semester.”
The district’s guidelines require weapons to be concealed and stored in biometric safes. Verified employees can only chamber their weapons under specific conditions and must use approved ammunition, according to WXIX. The guidelines also require armed employees to respond to violent intruders. Other state requirements include a valid gun license, training through the state, and a mandatory drug screening.
The armed staff in New Richmond are in addition to a school resource officer serving the middle and high schools and part-time security at elementary campuses, WCPO reports.
“Bad guys don’t schedule a time where they’re going to show up and tell you when they’re going to do something bad, they just show up,” Miller said. “So we need to be prepared.”
The move to arm staff in New Richmond comes amid efforts nationwide to increase safety in the wake of school shootings in multiple states. That debate has generally pitted Republicans calling for more armed resources against Democrats and aligned teachers unions who have mostly focused on restricting gun ownership and possession.
The majority of folks commenting online about the change in New Richmond have praised the decision, WCPO reports.
“It’s about time!” one Facebook user posted, along with a photo of the new signs. “I certainly feel better about my child, niece and nephews being at school now!”
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“What took so long?” wrote another.
Officials with the Ohio Department of Public Safety provided WCPO with a list of schools that have submitted rosters of staff authorized to carry weapons on campus, but noted that others, including New Richmond, are continuing the process and not yet included on the list.
“The list of 61 schools who have submitted a roster of authorized staff is accurate as of (Thursday),” a representative wrote to the news site. “The Ohio School Safety Center does not disclose where schools are in the process until they have competed the process and submitted rosters of authorized armed staff.”
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