Another board of education in Ohio votes to allow concealed carry for teachers

New Philadelphia, OH's Times Reporter reported this week that the Garaway Board of Education has passed a resolution to allow for armed staff at Garaway Schools.

From the article:

Garaway joins Newcomerstown, Indian Valley and Tusky Valley as Tuscarawas County schools that authorize armed staff members.

“Additionally, we included a strict authorization policy and training measures that must be completed before approval,” said Superintendent Dr. James Millet in a statement. “This measure, in conjunction with our local law enforcement, offers an additional protection for our students and staff. According to a study completed by the National School Safety Council, adding armed staff to schools can help prevent a shooting inside as well as improve response time in the event of an emergency.

“It is important to note, we are continually adding a variety of safety measures for our school district. The safety of our staff and students is a priority and we will always continue to add new safety features and seek ways to get better. This summer we have added physical protection, video surveillance and preventative mental health components.”

According to the article, the resolution calls for the administration and local law enforcement to develop guidelines for the possession and/or carrying of weapons on property owned and operated by the board and in other designated school safety zones, and use during serious threats to safety of students, employees, or administrators and emergency events.

Tuscarawas County Sheriff Orvis Campbell advised that district employees that are chosen to be armed will have weeks of training and must qualify once a year.

In late 2012, in the wake of the horrific mass killing at Sandy Hook Elementary in Connecticut, Buckeye Firearms Foundation announced a plan to train and arm willing school staff.

Since then, the Foundation-sponsored program FASTER Saves Lives has trained almost 3000 school staff from over 260 districts across 18 different states. About 90% of these are from Ohio, where we have trained staff from at least 79 of Ohio's 88 counties. Over 30 districts in Ohio have publicly announced their involvement in the program, while others have chosen to keep the information as part of their confidential school emergency management plan.

Chad D. Baus served as Buckeye Firearms Association Secretary from 2013-2019. He is co-founder of BFA-PAC, and served as its Vice Chairman for 15 years. He is the editor of BuckeyeFirearms.org, which received the Outdoor Writers of Ohio 2013 Supporting Member Award for Best Website, and is also an NRA-certified firearms instructor.