Ohio’s rural school district will permit teachers and personnel to be armed with firearms.

An Ohio school district says it plans to try to respond to America’s wave of school shootings by taking advantage of a new law that allows teachers and trained staff to be armed.

Caledonia’s River Valley Community School District will allow four buildings to be staffed with armed teachers after appropriate training, one of 23 in the state to benefit from the law Gov. Mike DeWine signed into law in 2022.

Superintendent Adam Wickham said he would not allow his students and staff to be left unprotected.

“Our schools will no longer be easy, unprotected targets,” said Adam Wickham. Most active shootings occur in “gun-free zones” or with minimal safety measures in place. We want to ensure that our schools are not easy targets.

Wickham stressed the need for safe gun use in response to a possible shooting in rural Caledonia, which has a population of just 560.

Caledonia’s River Valley Community School District will allow four buildings to be staffed with armed teachers after appropriate training, one of 23 in the state to benefit from the law Gov. Mike DeWine signed into law in 2022.

“As a rural community, response times can often be minutes away in the case of an active shooter,” Wickham told The Guardian. Marion Star. “Using armed personnel in our buildings can save lives by providing a more immediate response to the threat.”

He specifically pointed to the shootings in recent years in Nashville, Uvalde and Parkland where many children and teachers were killed.

“(They) clearly show that the faster the response, the greater the likelihood of saving lives,” he said.

In addition to the potentially armed staff, the local sheriff’s office will house a junior armed officer and school resource officer at the city’s high school, middle school, and two elementary schools.

“Some have expressed questions about the training and selection process,” Wickham said.

The vast majority of parents have appreciated the proactive approach in protecting their children. This is really a major reason for military adoption.

Wickham knows not everyone will support this but this.Every safety measure we take at River Valley, including the use of armed personnel, is put in place to try to ensure that our staff and students can go home safely to their families and loved ones every day.

DeWine signed into law House 99 bill that would allow teachers to arm themselves with 24 hours of training though Democrats argue the proposal, which is optional for schools, sends the wrong message.

People are removed from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School after a shooting at the school that left several people dead and injured on February 14, 2018 in Parkland, Florida.

This video captured by a photo provided by the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department released March 27, 2023 shows suspect Audrey Hill holding an assault rifle in the Covenant Presbyterian Church school building, in Nashville, Tennessee

Police Chief Pete Arredondo to the left. Police deployed down a hallway after Salvador Ramos entered Rupp Elementary School to kill 19 children and two teachers in Uvalde, Texas.

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine (C) has signed House Bill 99 allowing educators to arm themselves with 24 hours of training though Democrats argue the proposal, which is optional for schools, sends the wrong message.

The bill aims to protect children by making sure teaching is specific to schools including scenario-based training, DeWine said when announcing his support.

The action was opposed by major law enforcement groups, gun control advocates, and state teachers unions, which asked DeWine to veto the action. It is supported by a few police departments and school districts.

Wickham has promised that his school district will follow its own policy of requiring a full 50 hours of training for anyone who wants to be armed.