Ohio school district recruits staff for ‘armed response teams’

Dayton, Ohio – The Mad River School District is taking a new approach to school security.

District officials approved a plan last month to create an armed response team using existing staff who will complete a three day, 26-hour training program to allow them access to weapons that will be stored in schools throughout the district starting in the 2017-18 school year, WHIO reports.

District officials and school board members studied the issue of securing schools for roughly a year, and they cited recent school shootings as a motivating factor for choosing a team-based approach, rather than installing resource officers, which are typically local police.

This was a very tough decision,” Mad river school board president Scott Huddle told the Dayton Daily News. “We as a board and administration felt like we were obligated to do more, now more than ever, to protect the students and the staff and visitors who come into our schools every day.”

Superintendent Chad Wyen explained to WDTN why the district choose to train and arm teachers, instead of relying resource officers.

“We determined as a board of education that the team approach would be way more effective than having a school resource officer. You have one individual person that can respond to a situation versus a team,” he said. “And if we want to reduce the risk and we want to make sure we have a safe environment, the best bet for us and what best fit our needs was having that team approach.”

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