Ohio school to arm janitors, receives support from parents
| Toledo, Ohio
A rural聽school聽district in聽Ohio聽is drawing attention with its plans to arm a handful of its non-teaching employees with handguns this year 鈥� perhaps even janitors.
Four employees in the Montpelier聽schools聽have agreed to take a weapons training course and carry their own聽guns聽inside the district's one building, which houses 1,000 students in kindergarten through 12th grade,聽school聽officials said.
"It's kind of a sign of the times," Superintendent Jamie Grime said Friday.
The Toledo Blade reported that the employees were janitors, but聽school聽officials would not confirm that to The Associated Press, saying only that they are employees who don't have direct supervision over the students in the northwest聽Ohio聽district.
The four employees who will carry聽guns聽all volunteered to take part, Grime said. The聽school聽plans to pay for them to attend a two-day training course.
"Putting a firearm in a聽school聽is a huge step," Grime said. "We're going to do it properly. These people need the proper training."
The move comes as districts and lawmakers across the nation weigh how to protect students following the聽school聽massacre in Newtown, Conn., and after the National Rifle Association called for an armed officer in every U.S.聽school. The gunman in Newtown used a rifle to kill 20 students and six educators.
Lawmakers in South Carolina, Oklahoma, Missouri and South Dakota are looking into legislation that would allow teachers and otherschool聽employees to have聽guns.
Texas Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst called Friday for state-funded, specialized firearms training for teachers and administrators.聽Schooldistricts would decide who would carry weapons but not be required to participate, and training would include how to react during a shooting.
In Arizona's Maricopa County, Sheriff Joe Arpaio has said he plans to post armed volunteers on聽school聽perimeters.
Residents in a Dayton,聽Ohio, suburb crowded into a聽school聽meeting this week to talk about whether staff members and teachers should be armed. Reaction was mixed, according to The Dayton Daily News.
"We need more good guys with聽guns. That's the sad reality of the situation," said Jim Rigano, a Springboro聽school聽board member.
Other states are trying clamp down on聽gun聽sales and bans on assault rifles.
In Montpelier,聽school聽officials began reviewing security plans after Newtown and decided teachers should not be armed because their first priority in an emergency should be locking doors and protecting students, Grime said. The聽school聽already has security cameras and locked doors, and requires visitors to be buzzed into the front entrance.
The proposal was not announced until just before the board voted unanimously Wednesday to arm a select group of employees after consulting with the local police chief and attorneys who reviewed聽Ohio's聽concealed carry law. The law prohibits聽guns聽inschools聽except in a few cases, and allows education boards to authorize someone to carry a聽gun聽inside聽schools.
No members of the public spoke out on the measure at the meeting, board President Larry Martin told the Blade. Grime said three people attended.
A letter was sent out to parents after the vote. Only three complained, while close to 150 called or sent emails supporting the idea in Montpelier, a remote city of about 4,000 residents along Interstate 80 near the convergence of聽Ohio, Michigan and Indiana.
"It's a place where people hold the Second Amendment close to their hearts," the superintendent said.
