Clearview School Board will not allow its teachers to carry firearms

LORAIN — The Clearview school board will not permit its teachers to be armed next school year. The board came to that decision Tuesday during a work session. It will vote on a formal resolution when it returns from its July recess. The discussion came about after Gov. Mike DeWine signed House Bill 99 earlier this month, allowing teachers to carry guns in their classrooms if permitted by their local districts. The new law goes into effect Sept. 12. "This has become a big topic across the country," Superintendent Jerome Davis said, referencing renewed scrutiny around school security after the mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, that left 19 students and two teachers dead and 17 others wounded. A survey sent out by the Clearview Education Association to its members saw an overwhelming majority of the 55 respondents were not interested in carrying a gun at school, with some comments stating "Guns don't belong in school'' and "If I wanted to be armed, I would have chosen a profession like an officer, not an educator." School Board President Michael Post said he wanted to be proactive in discussing the issue early — with his views echoing that of the teachers in the survey. "I am totally against it," Post said, adding that the required 24 hours of training outlined in House Bill 99 isn't enough, but even hundreds of hours of training could still invite problems. Michael Mielcarek agreed, stating he's seen too much go wrong, even with someone adequately trained, to invite firearms into the district. "Also, I haven't heard anyone wanting it," he said. Mike Kokinda also expressed concerns. "There's folks that were trained, that's what they do for their livelihood, that don't react correctly, so I don't know how anyone can expect people that aren't (doing) that as their livelihood to react," he said. "I would say this would be a horrible idea." He added on top of discussing whether or not to arm teachers, the district needs to look at what it can do to make its facilities safer. Deana Sutton also was opposed, noting the district's teachers have enough stress without adding firearms into the mix. There was some confusion as to whether or not the new permitless carry laws in Ohio would allow someone to carry a firearm into schools — but the state's forbidden-carry zones are still in effect, which includes school property, according to the Ohio Attorney General's Office document on concealed-carry laws. The district has an armed deputy from the Sheriff's Office serve as its school resource officer, splitting his time between Vincent Elementary, Durling Middle and the high school. Contact Carissa Woytach at (440) 329-7245 or cwoytach@chroniclet.com.