Ohio wants to buy 'shoot houses' for training armed school employees in 67 districts

Laura A. Bischoff, Columbus Dispatch

The state of Ohio plans to buy two "mobile modular shoot houses" to help train armed employees in 67 school districts how to respond to an active shooter.

The Ohio Department of Public Safety is asking the state Controlling Board on Monday to approve the $78,000 purchase from North Carolina-based Kontek Industries, which sells surveillance systems, body armor, gun turret systems and more.

The shoot houses can be assembled on site − indoor or outdoor − and can be configured to resemble houses, offices or other buildings. "The more realistic we can make the training, the better prepared armed school staff will be to respond to an active shooter," said Bret Crow, spokesman for the Department of Public Safety.

Sixty-seven school districts in 36 counties arm employees within the buildings, according to rosters submitted to the state. The names of teachers and school personnel carrying guns are not public records, nor are the total number of armed staff in each district.

The districts that agreed to train and arm school personnel tend to be more rural, where police response times can be longer due to distance. For example, there are six districts Belmont County and six in Shelby County that have employees carrying firearms.

Adams County Christian School AdamsManchester Local School District Adams St. Mary's City Schools AuglaizeBelmont Harrison JVSD Belmont Martins Ferry City School District Belmont St. Clairsville-Richland City Schools Belmont Barnesville Exempted Village School District Belmont Bellaire Local Schools Belmont Bridgeport Exempted Village School District Belmont Eastern Local Schools District BrownMadison Local Schools Butler Carrollton Exempted Village School District Carroll Williamsburg Local School District Clermont Clinton-Massie Local Schools Clinton Southern Ohio Educational Service Center Clinton Parma City Schools Cuyahoga Gallipolis City School District Gallia Bellbrook-Sugarcreek Local School District Greene Kirkmont Presbyterian Church/ Preschool Greene Rolling Hills Local School District GuernseyEast Guernsey Local Schools Guernsey Upper Scioto Valley Hardin Kenton City Schools Hardin Bright Local School District Highland Edison Local School District Jefferson Indian Creek Local School District Jefferson Jefferson County Educational Service Center Jefferson Jefferson County Joint Vocational School Jefferson Knox County Career Center Schools KnoxLicking County Christian Academy LickingOhio High Point Career Center Logan Benjamin Logan Local Schools Logan Calvary Christian School Logan Geneva Academy Logan Indian Lake Local Schools Logan River Valley Local Schools MarionSwitzerland of Ohio Local School District Monroe Miami Valley Career Technology Center MontgomeryThe Greater Dayton School Montgomery Mad River Local School District Montgomery New Lebanon Local School District Montgomery Morgan Local School District MorganHighland Local Schools Morrow Tri-Valley Local School District Muskingum Noble Local School District Noble Caldwell Exempted Village School District Noble Antwerp Local Schools PauldingMaplewood Career Center Portage Streetsboro City Schools Portage Mansfield Christian School Richland Clay Local School District SciotoWheelersburg Local School District Scioto Old Fort Local Schools Seneca Sidney City Schools ShelbyRussia Local School Shelby Fairlawn Local School District Shelby Fort Loramie Local Schools Shelby Jackson Center Schools Shelby Hardin-Houston School Shelby Trumbull Career and Technical Center Trumbull Claymont City TuscarawasGaraway Local Schools TuscarawasNewcomerstown Exempted Village School District Tuscarawas Tuscarawas Valley Local School District Tuscarawas Mars Hill Academy Warren Warren Local School District WashingtonEdgerton Local Schools Williams

Gov. Mike DeWine signed House Bill 99 in September 2022 that lowered the required training hours. The classes must include:

  • scenario-based training

  • mitigation techniques

  • de-escalation techniques

  • tactics for responding to critical incidents

  • how to neutralize potential threats and active shooters

  • tactical live firearm training

Laura Bischoff is a reporter for the USA TODAY Network Ohio Bureau, which serves the Columbus Dispatch, Cincinnati Enquirer, Akron Beacon Journal and 18 other affiliated news organizations across Ohio.

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio plans to buy 'shoot houses' to train armed school employees

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