Could armed janitors be one school's line of defense?
TOLEDO, Ohio (AP) - A rural school district in Ohio is drawing attention with its plans to arm a handful of its non-teaching employees with handguns this year - perhaps even janitors.
Four employees in the Montpelier schools have agreed to take a weapons training course and carry their own guns inside the district's one building, which houses 1,000 students in kindergarten through 12th grade, school officials said.
"It's kind of a sign of the times," Superintendent Jamie Grime said Friday.
The Toledo Blade reported that the employees were janitors, but school officials would not confirm that to The Associated Press, saying only that they are employees who don't have direct supervision over the students in the northwest Ohio district.
The four employees who will carry guns all volunteered to take part, Grime said. The school plans to pay for them to attend a two-day training course.
"Putting a firearm in a school is a huge step," Grime said. "We're going to do it properly. These people need the proper training."
The move comes as districts and lawmakers across the nation weigh how to protect students following the school massacre in Newtown, Conn., and after the National Rifle Association called for an armed officer in every U.S. school. The gunman in Newtown used a rifle to kill 20 students and six educators.
Lawmakers in South Carolina, Oklahoma, Missouri and South Dakota are looking into legislation that would allow teachers and other school employees to have guns.
Texas Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst called Friday for state-funded, specialized firearms training for teachers and administrators. School districts would decide who would carry weapons but not be required to participate, and training would include how to react during a shooting.
In Arizona's Maricopa County, Sheriff Joe Arpaio has said he plans to post armed volunteers on school perimeters.
Residents in a Dayton, Ohio, suburb crowded into a school meeting this week to talk about whether staff members and teachers should be armed. Reaction was mixed, according to The Dayton Daily News.
"We need more good guys with guns. That's the sad reality of the situation," said Jim Rigano, a Springboro school board member.
Other states are trying clamp down on gun sales and bans on assault rifles.
In Montpelier, school officials began reviewing security plans after Newtown and decided teachers should not be armed because their first priority in an emergency should be locking doors and protecting students, Grime said. The school already has security cameras and locked doors, and requires visitors to be buzzed into the front entrance.
The proposal was not announced until just before the board voted unanimously Wednesday to arm a select group of employees after consulting with the local police chief and attorneys who reviewed Ohio's concealed carry law. The law prohibits guns in schools except in a few cases, and allows education boards to authorize someone to carry a gun inside schools.
No members of the public spoke out on the measure at the meeting, board President Larry Martin told the Blade. Grime said three people attended.
A letter was sent out to parents after the vote. Only three complained, while close to 150 called or sent emails supporting the idea in Montpelier, a remote city of about 4,000 residents along Interstate 80 near the convergence of Ohio, Michigan and Indiana.
"It's a place where people hold the Second Amendment close to their hearts," the superintendent said.
Four employees in the Montpelier schools have agreed to take a weapons training course and carry their own guns inside the district's one building, which houses 1,000 students in kindergarten through 12th grade, school officials said.
"It's kind of a sign of the times," Superintendent Jamie Grime said Friday.
The Toledo Blade reported that the employees were janitors, but school officials would not confirm that to The Associated Press, saying only that they are employees who don't have direct supervision over the students in the northwest Ohio district.
The four employees who will carry guns all volunteered to take part, Grime said. The school plans to pay for them to attend a two-day training course.
"Putting a firearm in a school is a huge step," Grime said. "We're going to do it properly. These people need the proper training."
The move comes as districts and lawmakers across the nation weigh how to protect students following the school massacre in Newtown, Conn., and after the National Rifle Association called for an armed officer in every U.S. school. The gunman in Newtown used a rifle to kill 20 students and six educators.
Lawmakers in South Carolina, Oklahoma, Missouri and South Dakota are looking into legislation that would allow teachers and other school employees to have guns.
Texas Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst called Friday for state-funded, specialized firearms training for teachers and administrators. School districts would decide who would carry weapons but not be required to participate, and training would include how to react during a shooting.
In Arizona's Maricopa County, Sheriff Joe Arpaio has said he plans to post armed volunteers on school perimeters.
Residents in a Dayton, Ohio, suburb crowded into a school meeting this week to talk about whether staff members and teachers should be armed. Reaction was mixed, according to The Dayton Daily News.
"We need more good guys with guns. That's the sad reality of the situation," said Jim Rigano, a Springboro school board member.
Other states are trying clamp down on gun sales and bans on assault rifles.
In Montpelier, school officials began reviewing security plans after Newtown and decided teachers should not be armed because their first priority in an emergency should be locking doors and protecting students, Grime said. The school already has security cameras and locked doors, and requires visitors to be buzzed into the front entrance.
The proposal was not announced until just before the board voted unanimously Wednesday to arm a select group of employees after consulting with the local police chief and attorneys who reviewed Ohio's concealed carry law. The law prohibits guns in schools except in a few cases, and allows education boards to authorize someone to carry a gun inside schools.
No members of the public spoke out on the measure at the meeting, board President Larry Martin told the Blade. Grime said three people attended.
A letter was sent out to parents after the vote. Only three complained, while close to 150 called or sent emails supporting the idea in Montpelier, a remote city of about 4,000 residents along Interstate 80 near the convergence of Ohio, Michigan and Indiana.
"It's a place where people hold the Second Amendment close to their hearts," the superintendent said.
Have the lowest paid killed first? Â Where are the managers hiding, under their desk? Â A totally stupid idea. Â If manager staff wants it, then they should be first line, not cowards.
'Could armed janitors be one school's line of defense?' Interesting idea, but doubtful. That would be right up there with arming Walmart greeters for all the good it would do.
The school plans to pay for them to attend a two-day training course. "Putting a firearm in a school is a huge step," Grime said. "We're going to do it properly. These people need the proper training."
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So the training course for reacting to an active shooter with lethal force is a whole two days? Great. Let's give lots of people two days of training and then turn them loose in the schools with guns. What could go wrong?
 @Max Quinn Gotta agree with you on that. Two days is an outrage as far as training someone. This is just another knee-jerk reaction that won't end well if this stupid idea goes forward. A couple of months of intensive training on the range, followed by monthly range time.. and whatever else.
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You can't train someone to hit a target reliably in just two days. I had a longer training period with Lotus Notes.
 @axpman  @Max Quinn To be fair, a gun isn't nearly as lethal as Notes.
Day Janitors generally notice things teachers (locked in their rooms) don't. Odd people on campus stick out to someone who travels everywhere inside & outside during the day.
Groundskeeper Willie packin heat. Awesome.
Except that most janitors don't show up until the end of the day. What good is that?
The janitors?
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Groundskeeper Willy: [after being hacked in the back with an axe for the third time in the third act]
Oh, I'm bad at this!
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Treehouse of Horror V
I'm still trying to figure how 1 or 2 janitors or teachers is going to be able to stop these shootings. First of all, the janitors are usually in the furnace room or jimnasium or out having a smoke...there is no way they can be in every classroom all the time. All the bad guy has to do is be aware, and watch the janitor go out of sight, then go ahead with the attack. Same thing with teachers, unless they arm EVERY teacher and assistant teacher. And if they arm teachers or janitors, are the teachers going to pay for their own training and weapons? I doubt it...the school districts/state will be expected to pick up the cost...literally millions, and only having a few in each school will not do the job. They need to be trained, like a combat veteran, to take out the bad guy without hesitation on an instant notice...at least half of the teachers are liberals that will not even begin to do something like that until AFTER several shots are fired by the bad guy. Arming them COULD be a good thing, I don't think the way they are considering doing it will have any affect, at least until after the shooting is done.
@flyingtime I agree with that, there would need to be a lot of things changed in order for this to be effective. Im glad people are finally starting to do something about this instead of waiting while the government sits on it butt.
Local control is what this is all about. Some districts are not interested in this issue while others are.
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The ones that don't want guns in schools want to ban guns for law abiding citizens. Removing guns from the public hands is their ultimate goal.
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Every time there is a school shooting the anti gunners salivate at the opportunity of another attack on guns in the hands of private citizens. Piers Morgan, who isn't even a US citizen, is all over this shooting at Sandy Hook and trying to get as much mileage as possible. Personally I think he is doing it for ratings which makes him a really disgusting person.
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I applaud this school, not because they are considering allowing guns in the hands of well trained people, but because they are taking the initiative and using local control to do just that.
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 @RalphCramdenÂ
Oh the school board is out to control all right. Did anyone else notice this little tidbit?
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"The proposal was not announced until just before the board voted unanimously Wednesday....
No members of the public spoke out on the measure at the meeting, board President Larry Martin told the Blade. Grime said three people attended.
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Where is the outrage that a school board would pass something as major as this without discussion - regardless of your position on the matter? What about the rights of parents to have a say in a decision like this? Isn't this just another form of government ramming a decision down the throats of people without representation?
 @ormomÂ
How are the people not represented?
@RalphCramden @ormom "There won't be any bans unless 0bama does it through executive order." Betcha a nickel, Ralphie. The legislation is coming. And, no matter how much you want to believe you speak for everyone, you are in the minority, even among gun owners and the NRA membership.
 @ormomÂ
Reality check. I have no say in anything that goes on and neither do you.
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If our so called elected representatives ban guns they will pay just like they did in 1996.
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There won't be any bans unless 0bama does it through executive order. There are too many people that are pro gun in both houses including Harry Reid. Many of the southern democrats will not vote for anything either.
 @RalphCramdenÂ
Then don't complain if your duly elected congress decides to pass a bill without notice banning certain guns because you are duly represented at the time they vote.
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If you do I'll be forced to call you hypocrite (again), and intellectually dishonest.
 @ormomÂ
The school board was duly elected but the citizens of the community. In the US that means that the citizens of the school district were represented.
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Discussion is not a requirement. The members did discuss it before the vote and did ask for comments. No one commented and the vote was taken, voted in favor by all 5 members and recorded by the secretary.
 @RalphCramdenÂ
I already put that in my post. Why don't you tell me how you think they were.
I thought all janitors were experts in the art of the mop bo staff. I seen one clean up a giant vomit spill AND break up a fight  within 5 seconds flat. Bullet proof coveralls would help for the bullets.
Would they speak an English? Sorry had to get that out first...
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I think anyone that passes the background checks any basic safety course allowing them to acquire a CHL should be allowed to carry if they wanted to take on that big responsibility.
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Also there could be a gun safe in the principals office in every school with a shotgun and pistol that those who were specifically trained would have the ability to get access to if needed. So even if no one wanted to carry during they day they could possibly get to a weapon quickly enough to do something.
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After all we know it'll take anywhere from 2 minutes to 15 minutes for the cops to get their, assess the situation, and possibly start to do something about it.
G.I. Janitor! Give the lunchroom lady a gun too!
 @Pointblank Do they still have those anymore?
RalphCramden is gonna love this. Now if we could only get bus drivers, church ushers, mall clerks, to carry guns and then have armed guards at bus stops, he would be in hog heaven. All problems can be solved with more guns, right, Ralhie?
 @Mechanic No only guns in the hands of the right people properly trained.
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After all we trust hundreds of thousands of police to walk around armed all day and no one thinks twice about it.
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You do remember that police are just normal average citizens like you and me with about six weeks of specialized training and then a year or so of on-the-job training.
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@Mechanic So where do I sign up to get into the @RalphCramden fan club? He's become such a legend that he get the honor of first mention in the comments.
 @JTesla  @Mechanic Â
I find that hilarious that some guy who has a fake name can get so much attention.
@Mechanic Whats your answer? Tell the bad guys with guns who dont care about laws that what they're doing is illegal and immorale?
@FreedomRocks @cantcurestupid Hey, where do the bad guys get their guns? From the "good guys." There are too damn many guns out there now, but NOONE is talking about taking them away. The conversation is about limiting access by criminals and crazies to war zone material. How about making it illegal for people on the Terror Watch List to buy guns? Who's got a problem with that?
 @cantcurestupid  @Mechanic He doesn't have an answer that's the problem...
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He's one of those people that believes if we just take the guns away from all the legal citizens somehow the criminals will not have them either. Apparently he hasn't looked across to either of are oceans to what happens there or maybe our southern border.
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Just like drugs once they take the guns away from the legal citizens only the criminals will have them. Also just like drugs they won't be that difficult to get for the criminals.