An estimated 30 Ohio school districts include in their security plans guns that are locked in safes, ready to be used by trained staff in case an active shooter enters school grounds.

Sidney City Schools superintendent John Scheu firmly believes the move to improve security with more weapons, while controversial, is necessary in the wake of the tragic 2012 school shooting in Connecticut.

“Sandy Hook took us to an entirely different level in terms of taking a real serious look at what we are doing system-wide in our seven buildings to provide better security for our staff and for students,” Scheu said. “We decided to be proactive instead of reactive.”

While Sidney has added guns and training, the Springfield City School District has spent $1.6 million on security technology. Much of that went to new door-lock systems and high-definition video cameras. The cameras capture virtually every square inch of all 16 buildings in the district.

Superintendent David Estrop recently granted a tour of the Clark Pre-School building as parents dropped off their kids.

“We had to respond and we are continuing to have to respond, and I do not think it is one of those things where you ever say we have done enough,” Estrop said.
Mandy Crabtree, whose son attends Clark Pre-School, said she supports the move to add the new security.

“You always want to hear that they are making improvements in security, especially nowadays when you know what people are capable of,” she said. “It makes me happy and relieved that they are going to be watching out for my kids.”

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