Ohio law prohibits firearms inside school buildings, but school boards can give individuals permission to carry.
In part one, Annie Wu of member station WCPN in Cleveland reported on FASTER --- the Faculty/Administrator Safety Training and Emergency Response training camp where educators prepare for an active shooter. Now she concludes her two-part series by attending the last day of the program as participants go through an active shooter simulation. Please be advised that parts of this story may not be appropriate for some listeners.
It’s quiet in the hallways of Wadsworth High School until a role playing scenario with an active shooter begins….
SOUND OF SIMULATION: (gunshots) (0:03)
Seconds later, from down the hallway, a teacher comes out of a classroom carrying a gun. He carefully but quickly shuffles towar d the sound of gunshots. He approaches a large room, sees an angry teenager with a gun, and confronts him.
SOUND OF SIMULATION: Teacher: “Freeze! Freeze! Drop it!” (different gunshots). Teenager: “I’m shooting myself.” (gunshot) (0:09)
The pretend shooter appears dead on the ground and the man – Keith -- assesses the scene. Another man emerges and Keith tells him to call 911. But the caller is unclear as he describes the scene to emergency services.
SOUND OF SIMULATION: “Yeah, the teacher’s got his gun out. Yeah, no he’s got his gun and he’s pointing it at people. He’s wearing a white shirt...” (0:09)
Finally, Chris Cerino, the trainer watching this simulation unfold, calls an end to the scene. He reminds Keith that police entering the building could mistake him for the shooter.
CERINO: “If people don’t know you’re armed in this school, you might need to say, ‘Tell them I’m one of the first responders here at the school. It is ok for me to have a gun.’ You gotta think about what you’re going to say.” (0:11)
The superintendent of Hicksville Schools in Northwest Ohio is here to better understand the training that his armed teachers and staff are getting. Keith Countryman says this is one in a series of security measures at Hicksville including security cameras and doors that lock automatically. He says they couldn’t afford a school police officer but they also don’t want to be a soft target.
COUNTRYMAN: “The people I’ve chosen to carry I’ve instructed them that are to never have the gun off their body for any reason nor have it shown for any reason unless it’s needed in a threating situation.”
Other schools have chosen to conceal their weapons differently. Just outside Dayton near Wright Patterson Air Force base, Mad River Schools has purchased guns, ammunition, and safety vests that will be kept in safes throughout its buildings.
WYEN: “Only the response team members and myself know the location of where the safes are.”
For the past year, superintendent Chad Wyen has been preparing his staff and interviewing volunteers who will be on the 32-member response team. They’ll each go through training before the firearm plan goes into effect in the fall.
WYEN: “Our community in general is very Appalachian and military and I think maybe they have a better understanding of what this means as far as protection and school safety.” (0:10)
(ambience of kids outside Beverly Gardens elementary)
The Mad River teachers’ union declined to comment, but to get a sense of how the community feels, I spoke to a half dozen parents at pick up time outside Beverly Gardens Elementary. No one was opposed to the plan but some expressed concerns.
RICHARD LOVE: Well, as long as they get well trained, I don’t mind. Personally, I always carry on me.
KELLY RINEHART: I think it’s a good idea, but they need to be locked up in a lock box so little ones can’t get to them.
That was Richard Love and Kelly Rinehart. Stewart had not heard about the new safety plan but the district has been open about it, posting a video on its Facebook page explaining the decision. But most districts have been quiet. We attempted to contact every district in the state asking if they had given anyone permission to conceal carry. Many did not respond. Most who did said no. Others said their safety plans are not public information.
BLUBAUGH: “Shooters ready!”
Back at the training site, a group of teachers line up for a series of target tests.
(beep & sound of gunshots) (0:07)
By the end of the program, all except one participant has passed the marksmanship test. The last person passes on a re-test.
