Ohio AG: Many school safety plans inadequate

An article from the Chillicothe Gazette written by Written by Jessie Balmert CentralOhio.com

A “significant number” of safety plans Ohio schools submitted to his office won’t meet best-practice guidelines, Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine said Wednesday.

The guidelines, established by DeWine’s School Safety Task Force and released Tuesday, include precautions for fires, bomb threats, medical emergencies and school shootings. Ohio law does not specify what schools must submit, DeWine said during a news conference announcing new training for teachers.

The ambiguity left some schools submitting outdated floor plans or safety plans for limited situations, he said.

“They are all over the place,” said DeWine, adding that state school and attorney general’s office officials would work with schools to get plans up to snuff.

Incorporating an armed principal or police officer into school safety plans should be decided on a school-by-school basis, but it’s a discussion worth having, DeWine said.

“If I was on a school board, … I would seriously consider having someone in that school, maybe an ex-police officer, someone who has significant training, who had access to a gun in that school, but you’d have to be careful about it. I’m not saying every school should be armed,” DeWine said.

Under Ohio law, school boards may give written authorization to anyone to bring firearms onto school premises.

DeWine’s office also is partnering with the Acting Superintendent of Public Instruction Michael Sawyers and other stakeholders to offer new training for teachers, including how to identify a potential shooter.

The first class will be Jan. 17 at the Educational Service Center of Central Ohio. The training would include information about mental health, which often gets overlooked, Sawyers said.

Information is key for teachers, who must respond to emergencies before police officers can arrive, Sawyers said.

“The real first responders in these situations are teachers,” DeWine said.

DeWine also outlined the state’s accomplishments since the school shooting in Chardon High School in February. Those included hosting a July School Safety Summit, reinforcing the submission of school safety plans, creating the School Safety Task Force and offering 14 mobile units with simulators on emergencies.

jbalmert@centralohio.com

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