HB99 Restores Ohio School's ability to implement enhanced safety and security plans
HB99 has passed out of both the Ohio House and the Ohio Senate and is headed to Governor Dewine’s desk for his signature.
Here are some questions we have already received that we hope will clear up some misinformation in the news.
If you have more questions email or ask them on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.
To read the entire bill and for more analysis check out this link on theA1S4 Protection PAC website: https://a1s4.com/hb-99-info/
FAQ
Governor DeWine signed HB99 on June 13th and the bill will become law on September 12th 2022.
It has not. Currently law requires ZERO training for schools to authorize anyone who is not an employee. There is no mention of 700 hours in current law. That is a law-enforcement number for their training for a very different job. The media either does not understand the truth, or does not care about the truth. Ask those who keep pushing this false narrative to show you where this is in existing law.
No. The bill requires schools to do nothing. It gives schools options. Schools are free to choose if want to avail themselves of any/all/none of them.
No. No person can be forced to carry a gun. No person should be forced to carry a gun.
No person can be forced to take on this roll. School staff were hired as school staff. Nothing changes that. This is an additional, optional step, if the school and employee agree and complete all state requirements.
HB99 specifies that the newly create Ohio School Safety and Crisis center via 16 mobile training officers develop and make available to schools a curriculum which does not exceed 24 hours initially. Recurring training not to exceed 8 hours will be required in subsequent years.
YES. All persons must be individually authorized by the school board before they are permitted to carry a firearm in school.
Not exactly, but hopefully practically. The law does not specifically grandfather in anyone. It specifies that armed staff must complete the Department of Public Safety (DPS) required training or submit an alternate curriculum for approval by the DPS. We will be submitting the FASTER Saves Lives training to the chief mobile training officer. If approved, then those previously trained through our FASTER Saves Lives program should be qualified. The same is true for any other training organization that has their curriculum approved.
No. They are teachers, principals, Superintendents, Maintenance staff, IT professionals, secretaries, nurses, coaches, lunch ladies and what ever job they are at the school. Because of the high level of training they have received, and the authorization they are given, they may have their guns with them instead of leaving them in their vehicle.
No. A teacher’s first responsibility is to their students, not everyone in the school. Different people have different roles in a school every day. The same is true if there is a serious event.
Yes. HB99 requires the school to notify the public ‘by whatever means the affected school regularly communicates with the public’
Yes. HB99 required the district to send the names of armed staff to the Department of Public Safety. HB99 also exempts this list of names from public record requests. DPS ‘School Authorized Armed Staff Roster’ form.
The law does not specify. In general, laws function forward, not backwards. We will be asking the new Chief for clarification and believe that staff should have one year from the effective date of the legislation to complete their annual training requirements.
Any training that is submitted and approved by the DPS will count. This bill never was, and is not a FASTER Saves Lives bill. It is a school safety bill that does far more for our schools than our FASTER Saves Lives program has ever contemplated. We are interested in safe schools, and that is the point of this bill.
Buildings. It requires staff to be trained to understand how to respond to an active killer inside buildings as opposed to just practice on a square range.
Yes. Federal law still prohibits carrying firearms in school zones (including the 1,000 foot perimeter). Having a current carry license from the state the school is in is an exemption to this prohibition, so having a license is still required for anyone on school property or in school zones.
The legislation calls for 16 regional mobile training officers. They will work with schools in their district to provide site security reviews and help districts make their schools safer. This is a key element of safety and security that has been missing in Ohio.
The mobile training officers and their knowledge and skills will be available to all schools. Every child is important, and every school must be safe.
HB99 specifies that the school pays the cost of any required training.
Governor DeWine just made $100,000,000.00 available to schools to for security improvements and upgrades.