To our New Richmond Community:

You may have noticed new signage on campus referring to the arming of staff members throughout the district. The 

installation of these signs, like the one shown to the right, during the holiday break is the culmination of a years-long process with an overall end goal of making our campus, and by extension our staff and students, safer.

Background

In June 2022, shortly after the tragic school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine signed a law allowing districts throughout the state to arm staff members. 

The New Richmond Exempted Village School District Board of Education began debating the possibility of arming staff members in the district one month later, in July of 2022. 

In the midst of that discussion, separate surveys were sent out to members of the community: one to staff members and another to families in the district.

Of 230 staff members surveyed, 44.35 percent (102 total) were in favor of allowing staff to carry guns after proper training. Ninety-seven staff members (42.17 percent) were against the policy with 13.48 percent (31 staff members) unsure.

The results among the community were clearer. A total of 514 respondents (64.09 percent of those polled) overwhelmingly answered ‘Yes’  to the question asking if staff members should be allowed to carry guns on school property after proper training. 

Only 26.68 percent (214) said no. 

Nonetheless, the topic was tabled at the time due to a lack of regulations and guidance from the state of Ohio.

That guidance came late in December, 2022. More on the state requirements will be addressed in the “Qualifications” section of this page.

The policy was officially adopted by New Richmond Exempted Village Schools after a second reading in March of 2023.

For the next six months, after close collaboration with members of the NREVSD administration, legal council and first responders throughout our community, a set of administrative guidelines were presented to the board of education for approval.

These guidelines were presented to the public at the September 2023 Board of Education meeting. As guidelines, they are not necessarily subject to board approval, but the district felt it was best to be as transparent as possible with our community.

QUALIFICATIONS/THE SELECTION PROCESS

Qualifications

Any staff member in the New Richmond Exempted Village School District wishing to be considered must meet specific criteria set forth by the state of Ohio as well as the district. Candidates must:

• Hold a valid Ohio Concealed Handgun License (CHL)

• Have received a MINIMUM of 24 hours of Armed School Staff Essential Training (ASSET) through the state of Ohio or another state- approved vendor. This training must include:

  • Mitigation techniques

  • Accountability

  • Reunificaiton

  • De-escalation

  • Crisis Intervention

  • Trauma and first-aid care

  • Tactics of responding to critical incidents in schools

  • Weapon Handling

  • Use of cover/concealment

More requirements can be found by visiting the Administrative Guidelines link at the top of this page.

In addition to the above training, a minimum of four hours of scenario-based training and a firearms qualifications course are also required.

Candidates must also undergo a mandatory drug screening and own and provide an approved weapon. Should a candidate wish to change weapons at any point, even after approval, they must re-qualify with the new weapon.

The Selection Process

All candidates must submit the proper qualifications outlined above. Following that submission, a candidate will be considered by a small district committee. A majority of the committee must approve any candidate. Additional steps for approved candidates are available at the Administrative Guidelines link at the top of the page under sections D and E.

Confidentiality

The district considers the identities and specific locations of any individual approved under these guidelines confidential. NREVSD will not release information which may include names, locations or a specific number of approved individuals to any outside entity unless required by state law.

NRESVD reserves the right to remove any qualified person under this plan at any time. People approved may also remove themselves at any time for any reason. Either of these two types of removal allow for reinstatement.

Persons who violate these guidelines are subject to immediate disqualification and cannot be reinstated.

NREVSD will incur some, but not all, costs associated with this policy. A rough breakdown of potential associated costs can be found below. A chart is available at the Administrative Guidelines link above.

Costs covered by NREVSD include the purchase and installation of biometric safes throughout the district, costs for substitute teachers, the cost of additional mandatory training, and the cost to purchase an identifying article of clothing (such as a vest or an armband, for instance) to be worn.

Costs covered by potential candidates include the cost to obtain a valid Ohio concealed carry license, an approved handgun, an approved holster, and practice/requalification ammunition. Additionally, candidates incur all travel/mileage costs and the cost of certification and annual recertification.