SB 317 to receive 3rd hearing, possible amendments and vote Tuesday

Representative Bill Coley (R-4), who chairs the Senate Government Oversight and Reform Committee, has announced a 3rd hearing for SB 317 (School Safety).

The hearing will be held on Tuesday, September 1, 2020 at 10:30 a.m. in the South Hearing Room at the Statehouse, 1 Capitol Square, Columbus, OH 43215. The Chair has announced that amendments may be offered before a possible vote.

The committee will hear proponent, opponent and interested party testimony. Buckeye Firearms Association has already testified in support of this bill.

Current state law already allows school boards to make decisions about the security in their schools. However, a lawsuit involving Bloomberg-funded Everytown for Gun Safety sought to prevent Madison Local School District from arming staff. The district initially received a favorable ruling, but an appeals court overturned it. The result is that employees carrying firearms in schools would be required to complete more than 700 hours of peace officer training, most of which is irrelevant to stopping active killers.

The Ohio Supreme Court has voted to allow Madison schools to arm school staff when students return, even as they prepare to hear an appeal of a lower court ruling against the practice.

SB 317 amends section 109.78 of the Ohio Revised Code to exempt certain school employees, such as teachers or administrators, from peace officer training if the board of education or governing body of a school authorizes them to be armed in a school safety zone.