COLUMBUS — Controlled door access, visitor screening and mass notification systems are the most common measures used in Ohio schools to protect kids and teachers, according to a new statewide survey sent to 5,620 buildings.
Panic buttons, radio hookups to first responders, protective windows and physical barriers are used in fewer schools, according to the 63-page report from the Ohio Department of Public Safety and Ohio Facilities Construction Commission.
Staff are armed in at least 43 school buildings across the state, according to the survey results.
“Each school is unique and there is no ‘one size fits all’ solution for improving school security. Given its primary mission of education, each school must evaluate security in relation to its own needs, budget and values,” the report said.
More than half of the survey respondents said school resource officers are in their buildings at least part of the day.
For those districts without police officers, 2.5 percent reported that they use former cops or military members for security, 4.3 percent hired off-duty police officers, and 10 percent relied on school staff.
A request for documents to determine which schools allow armed staff was denied by the Ohio Department of Public Safety, citing an exemption to the state’s open records law.