Rural Ohio school district will allow teachers and staff to ARM themselves with guns

A school district in Ohio says it plans to try and respond to America's wave of school shootings by taking advantage of a new law allowing trained teachers and staff to be armed. 

River Valley Local School District in Caledonia will allow it's four buildings to have teachers armed after proper training, one of 23 in the state that's taking advantage of a law signed by Governor Mike DeWine in 2022. 

Superintendent Adam Wickham said he won't allow his students and staff to be left unprotected.

'Our schools will no longer be soft targets and unprotected,' Adam Wickham said. 'Most active-shooter events occur in areas of 'gun-free zones' or with minimal safety measures in place. We want to ensure our schools will not be soft targets.' 

Wickham emphasized the need for safe gun use in response to a potential shooter in rural Caledonia, which has a population of just 560.

Superintendent Adam Wickham (pictured) is a proud proponent of the policy

River Valley Local School District in Caledonia will allow it's four buildings to have teachers armed after proper training, one of 23 in the state that's taking advantage of a law signed by Governor Mike DeWine in 2022.

'As a rural community, response times can often be minutes away in the event of an active shooter,' Wickham told the Marion Star. 'The use of armed staff in our buildings can potentially save lives by providing a more immediate response to the threat.'

He specifically cited shootings in recent years in Nashville, Uvalde and Parkland where several children and teachers were killed. 

'[They] clearly show that the quicker the response time, the more likely you are to potentially save lives,' he said.

In addition to potentially armed staff, the local sheriff's office will have nan armed staff member and a school resource officer at the high school, middle school and two elementary schools in town. 

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

'The vast majority of parents have expressed appreciation for the proactive approach in protecting their children. That is really a main reason for adopting the use of armed staff.' 

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

DeWine signed House Bill 99 permitting teachers to be armed with 24 hours of training despite Democrats arguing the proposal, which is optional for schools, sends the wrong message.

People are brought out of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School after a shooting at the school that reportedly killed and injured multiple people on February 14, 2018 in Parkland, Florida

This handout video grab image courtesy of the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department released on March 27, 2023, shows suspect Audrey Hale holding an assault rifle at the Covenant School building at the Covenant Presbyterian Church, in Nashville, Tennessee

Police Chief Pete Arredondo at left. Police deploy in a hallway after Salvador Ramos entered Robb Elementary school to kill 19 children and two teachers in Uvalde, Texas

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine (pictured center) signed House Bill 99 permitting teachers to be armed with 24 hours of training despite Democrats arguing the proposal, which is optional for schools, sends the wrong message

The bill aims to protect children by ensuring instruction is specific to schools and including significant scenario-based training, DeWine said when he announced his support.

The measure was opposed by major law enforcement groups, gun control advocates, and the state’s teachers’ unions, which asked DeWine to veto the measure. It’s supported by a handful of police departments and school districts.

Wickham has promised that his school district will follow it's own policy of requiring 50 total hours of training for anyone wanting to be armed.