COLUMBUS, Ohio – Two school safety measures reflecting concerns in the wake of shooting incidents have been approved by the Ohio House.
One bill, sponsored by Representatives Bill Hayes (R-Harrison Twp.) and Jay Hottinger (R-Newark) allows superintendents more freedom to discipline students they think pose a threat before an incident occurs. The other increases the number of “safety drills,” including rapid evacuations, that schools must perform every year.
Both bills now head to the Senate.
“We must do all we can to protect students and school personnel from risks before a bad act occurs, not after the damage has been done,“ Hayes said.
The measure sponsored by Hayes and Hottinger allows superintendents to expel a student who “threatens the safety or wellbeing of other students and staff” even if the student has not committed an offense that would ordinarily be punishable by expulsion.
It was intended to address situations like those in which nothing was done when early danger signs preceded a violent incident.
A plan must be created for the student to keep up with classwork and the expulsion cannot last more than 180 days.
The second measure lowers the number of fire drills for school buildings with smoke detectors and sprinkler systems from nine per year to six, but increases the number of safety drills to four and adds ”rapid evacuation procedures.” The bill requires three drills and one “theoretical” drill per school year.
An amendment was added to require schools without sprinklers or smoke detections to continue to conduct at least nine fire or rapid dismissal drills per year.