Yost: Lifesaving School Safety Training, Other Resources; DeWine: School Safety Legislative Action
(COLUMBUS, Ohio) — In the wake of the unspeakable mass shooting at a Texas elementary school, Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost is reminding Ohio school officials that his office provides resources designed to help prevent such violence before it happens.
“Prevention training saves lives,” Yost said. “We help educate the men and women who wear the badge to recognize and defuse catastrophes before more families are devastated.”
As part of ongoing efforts by the Attorney General’s Office to improve school safety, the Ohio Peace Officer Training Academy (OPOTA) has developed a course called Single Officer Response to Active Threat (SORAT), designed for school resource officers and instructors from law enforcement agencies.
The office also awards grants to schools for use across an array of areas to enhance student safety, including certification training for school resource officers, active-shooter or school safety training or equipment, and training to identify and assist students with mental health issues. The school safety fund has about $5.4 million remaining. More than 1,000 Ohio law enforcement agencies and 100 schools have taken advantage of the program.
In addition, the Attorney General’s Ohio School Threat Assessment Training Program continues to teach law enforcement officers and school officials how to recognize and act on behavioral warning signs before they lead to violence. Funding is still available for school resource and DARE officers who wish to complete the training. AG Yost encourages all law enforcement officers to complete the training; to date, 2,200 officers have done so.
Since 2020, the Attorney General’s Office has provided a combined $1 million in grant funding for Ohio law enforcement for taking Ohio School Threat Assessment Training and conduct vulnerability assessments on school buildings.
Governor Mike DeWine on Legislative Action
School Safety (HB 687)
“Last week I called for significant investment to improve our school buildings so that every school building in the state, public and private, can meet the best practices for physical school safety. The Capital Budget contains $100 million for school security upgrades at K-12 schools and $5 million for campus security upgrades in higher education. I thank the General Assembly for supporting and protecting our students and teachers”
Armed School Security Staff (HB 99)
“Last week I called on the General Assembly to pass a bill that would allow local school districts, if they so chose, to designate armed staff for school security and safety. My office worked with the General Assembly to remove hundreds of hours of curriculum irrelevant to school safety and to ensure training requirements were specific to a school environment and contained significant scenario-based training. House Bill 99 accomplishes these goals, and I thank the General Assembly for passing this bill to protect Ohio children and teachers. I look forward to signing this important legislation.”