Ohio’s “Armed School Staff” Bill’s Impact on School Shootings

It’s been nearly two years since Ohio Governor Mike DeWine signed House Bill 99 (HB99) into law, granting school districts the authority to decide whether specific staff members can carry firearms on school grounds, provided they complete a government-approved safety and training course. This decision has sparked controversy, dividing public school stakeholders—including teachers, administrators, parents, and school board members—between those who see it as a path to increased safety and those who worry about the risks of having weapons in schools.

As we evaluate HB99’s impact, we’ll examine Ohio’s school shooting statistics, the differences between HB99 and the Ohio Supreme Court’s prior rulings on this issue, and how districts that have embraced the law are working to improve safety.

Ohio School Shooting Data

The following statistics are alarming. As a teacher, they make me apprehensive. They make parents nervous about sending their kids to school, and they make all of us question the future of public education. But knowledge is the key to change, and we must confront these numbers if we hope to create safer schools.

Since Ohio began tracking gun violence on school property, there have been 111 reported incidents. According to the K-12 School Shooting Database, 24 of these incidents occurred during the 2022-2023 school year—representing 21% of the state’s total gun-related incidents at schools. This database is monitored by the Center for Homeland Defense and Security, a government agency responsible for tracking such data.

• 24% of shootings occurred before or during morning classes.
• 14% happened during sporting events.
• 30% were disputes that escalated into violence, often occurring outside the school building, with 62 of 111 shootings happening in parking lots.
• 73 of the 111 incidents (65%) occurred in Ohio’s largest cities: Columbus, Toledo, Dayton, Cincinnati, Akron, and Cleveland.

Ohio’s deadliest school shooting took place in 2012, when three students were killed, and three others were injured. The shooter, a student who had been expelled, fired into a cafeteria before surrendering to authorities.

While Ohio’s school shooting statistics are lower than tragedies like Uvalde or Sandy Hook, every incident represents a life altered by violence. HB99 aims to mitigate these risks by allowing trained school staff to carry firearms as part of a broader strategy to protect students.

HB99 vs. Ohio Supreme Court Ruling

Before HB99, the Ohio Supreme Court ruled that school employees could only carry firearms if they had completed extensive peace officer training (a 737-hour course) or had 20 years of experience in law enforcement. This ruling made it extremely challenging for most teachers to qualify, as few educators would have the time, resources, or opportunity to complete such a lengthy and specialized training program while still fulfilling their primary roles as educators. Teachers were expected to undergo the same level of rigorous training as law enforcement, which includes advanced physical and administrative tasks that go far beyond typical school safety requirements. As a result, very few schools were able to implement armed staff under the prior legal framework.

HB99 changed this by establishing the Ohio School Safety and Crisis Center (OSSCC) and revising the training requirements for armed school staff. The law reduced the training requirement from over 700 hours to just 24 hours, including annual 8-hour refresher courses. The training covers topics such as:

Participants must pass a written test and a qualification assessment with a minimum score of 80%.

Implementation in Ohio School Districts

Ohio has 611 school districts, but only 24 have chosen to implement the provisions of HB99, according to the Ohio Department of Public Safety. Many of these districts already had Armed Response Teams before HB99 was enacted, and their reasons for adopting the law vary. Most cite their rural location and the long response times from local law enforcement as critical factors.

An important note: during the 2022-2023 school year, none of the 24 incidents of gun violence occurred in schools that had implemented HB99. While this could suggest that the law is having a positive effect, the sample size is still small, and more time is needed to determine its long-term impact.

Conclusion: Is HB99 Working?

The data raises important questions: Does the absence of gun violence in schools that have adopted HB99 mean the law is working? Or is the sample size too small to draw any conclusions? How do parents feel about teachers being allowed to carry concealed weapons in classrooms? These are critical questions for Ohioans as they assess the future of school safety in their state.

Let us know your thoughts; would you feel safer if your child’s teacher were armed, or do you think there are better ways to protect students?

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