WEST CARROLLTON — The West Carrollton School Board will form a district response team that will allow “certain highly trained staff members” access to firearms to respond in the event of an active shooter.
The school board on Wednesday night passed a resolution allowing the district to add the response team, described as another layer to the district’s safety plan. Firearms would be locked in safes in school buildings.
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“We are in the business of education, but making sure students and staff are safe is our top priority,” West Carrollton School Board President Joe Cox said in a prepared statement. “This will allow us to add another level of security to our buildings to keep students and staff safe and protected.”
The school board recognizes that districts including Bellbrook, Mad River and Sidney have passed similar resolutions to form response teams and that other neighboring districts are considering it, the board president said.
“We have been following the trends happening locally and in schools across the country,” said Cox. “We feel this is the right decision for our students and staff.”
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With the exception of law enforcement personnel, team members would have to complete a minimum of 24 hours of training according state guidelines.
The district plans for those individuals to exceed the minimum hours of training required and meet or exceed the minimum 8 hour annual recertification training, the board said in its statement. Examples of training will include, but are not limited to, mitigation techniques, neutralization of potential threats and active shooters and psychology of critical incidents.
Staff members who choose to volunteer to be part of the response team will be provided all training following a rigorous interview process with district level administrators and law enforcement. The staff member would be required to have or obtain a CCW or Conceal Carry License, which includes additional background checks as well as participate in ongoing and frequent additional training and an annual recertification.
Only trained staff members who are part of the response team and law enforcement officials will be able to access the firearm safes and know where they are located in the building. All firearms will be locked in safes during the school day.
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The name of any staff member who joins the response team will be kept confidential, to maintain and protect the integrity of the school safety plan.
The board also announced that the district continues to review safety procedures at each school and will soon have one additional school resource officer. There are two at the middle school, two at the high school; and one will begin at the intermediate school in January.
District Superintendent Dr. Andrea Townsend said, “I would like to eventually see a school resource officer at each campus.”