Why Stow-Munroe Falls won’t be arming its teachers and staff

House Bill 99, signed into law June 13 by Governor Mike DeWine, gives every school board in Ohio the authority to choose whether to allow its teachers and staff to carry firearms in the classroom.

But the Stow-Munroe Falls City School District had already determined not to arm its teachers long before DeWine signed the bill, which first passed the Ohio House in November 2021.

“We began talking about it then and made the decision early on, in conjunction with our safety committee, that it was not in the best interest of our staff and students,” Stow-Munroe Falls Superintendent Tom Bratten said. “When it finally became law, we already knew what we were going to do.

“It’s more about creating an atmosphere that is inviting and supportive of learning. We have an incredibly heavy police presence in our buildings, and this is not a necessary step to take. Again, the safety committee felt this was in the best interest of our staff and students.”

House Bill 99 passed the Ohio Senate in June before going to DeWine. It came on the heels of the mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, that left 19 students and two teachers dead on May 22.

“Our policies were already very clear on this issue,” SMF Board of Education President Nancy Brown said. “While there are [SMF] teachers who would like to be able to have a gun at school, the overwhelming majority are firmly against it.”

The school board’s policy on weapons, first adopted Jan. 9, 2006, and revised Oct. 25, 2021, reads in part: “The Board of Education prohibits staff members from possessing, storing, making, or using a weapon, including a concealed weapon, in a school safety zone and any setting that is under the control and supervision of the Board for the purpose of school activities approved and authorized by the Board including, but not limited to, property leased, owned, or contracted for by the Board, a school-sponsored event, or in a Board-owned vehicle, except as permitted by law.”

The policy also states: “Unless otherwise authorized by law, pursuant to R.C. 2923.122, no person shall knowingly possess, have under the person’s control, convey, or attempt to convey a deadly weapon or dangerous ordnance into a school safety zone.”

“I don’t believe our teachers should be armed for the same reason I don’t believe police officers should teach math; it’s not their job,” Brown said. “In an active-shooter situation, our teachers need to be focused on keeping the children safe.”

House Bill 99 requires teachers to complete a minimum of 24 hours of initial training, eight hours of additional training annually, and pass a background check before they can carry a firearm in the classroom. The initial training is broken down into a maximum of 20 hours of first-aid training and four hours of scenario-based training.

Training isn’t an issue for SMF teachers and staff, according to Bratten.

“ALICE training is conducted every year,” he said, referring to the nationwide Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter and Evacuate program used by schools, organizations and industry. “Our brand-new staff members receive training during their new-teacher orientation. Lockdown drills and emergency procedures are practiced throughout the school year in every single school.”

The district has also taken other security measures, including working closely with law enforcement to ensure student safety on school grounds.

“I started the security committee in 2015 in conjunction with both cities’ [Stow and Munroe Falls] emergency services,” Bratten said. “We meet quarterly with them, Homeland Security and our security consultants to be sure we are up to date on all security measures to keep our kids safe. We have resource officers and regular police officers at each building throughout the day.

“I feel that our staff and students have become increasingly aware of ‘see something, say something’ and do not shy away from alerting someone when it comes to the safety of our staff and students.”

With House Bill 99 giving school boards the option to arm teachers, the door is open for guns to find their way into classrooms if districts choose to go that route at some point, even after deciding against it initially.

But don’t expect SMF schools to revisit the issue.

“Not at this time,” Bratten said.