COLUMBUS – The state has finalized training requirements for school district personnel who are authorized to carry firearms on school grounds.
The Ohio School Safety Center’s Armed School Staff Essential Training Curriculum – known as ASSET –includes 24 hours of initial training and eight hours of annual recertification training on mitigation and de-escalation techniques, tactical responses to critical incidents and for neutralizing potential threats and active shooter incidents, as well as tactical live firearm training, Gov. Mike DeWine announced Monday.
The mandatory training was required by a bill DeWine signed into law in June permitting Ohio school boards and governing bodies to arm specific staff members who complete the training.
The center was formed in 2019 as part of the Department of Public Safety to focus exclusively on enhancing school safety in Ohio schools.
In addition to assisting schools and first responders in preventing and preparing for threats and acts of violence, the center maintains the Safer Ohio School Tip Line and scans social media and websites to identify threats.