Ohio Teachers Can Now Carry Guns In Schools With 24 Hours' Training

COLUMBUS, OH — Gov. Mike DeWine signed into law HB 99 on Monday, allowing armed teachers and other employees in Ohio schools with less training than was required last year.

Employees in Ohio were allowed to carry guns in schools with authorization from the local school board. Last year, the state Supreme Court ruled that they had to undergo the same basic peace officer training as law enforcement and security officers who carry guns on campus, which meant undergoing more than 700 hours of instruction.

That changed Monday, as DeWine and Lt. Gov. Jon Husted held a news conference to announce the signing of new legislation lowering the minimum training hours needed for armed school workers to four scenario-based training hours, a maximum of 20 hours for medical training, history on school shootings and reunification training, The Columbus Dispatch reported.

DeWine said the 700-hour requirement effectively prevented Ohio school districts from allowing staffers to carry guns.

DeWine said he will direct Ohio School Safety Center to require all 24 hours of training that HB 99 allows.

Local school boards must still authorize staffers to carry guns and can ban guns in schools.

“This does not require any school to arm teachers or staff,” DeWine said. “Every school will make its own decision.”

DeWine said in a statement that his office “worked with the General Assembly to remove hundreds of hours of curriculum irrelevant to school safety." He thanked lawmakers for "passing this bill to protect Ohio children and teachers."

The legislation comes on the heels of the carnage May 24 at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, in which 19 students and two teachers were shot to death when an 18-year-old gunman rushed through a door and opened fire.

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