School safety bills, programs to watch in Ohio

School violence is top of mind for many families this week, following our country's deadliest school shooting in a decade.

What we're watching: A potential resurgence of interest in school safety proposals and funding in the wake of the Uvalde, Texas, shooting:

Arming school employees

• House Bill 99 would loosen training requirements to carry firearms in Ohio schools.
• The bill passed the House and awaits Senate action.

Police in schools

• House Bill 501 would allow districts — along with municipalities and townships — to levy property taxes to fund school resource officers.
• The bill has not made legislative progress as of Wednesday.
• Between the lines: Police presence in schools has been hotly debated in districts like Columbus and Worthington, which both discontinued officer programs in 2020 due to nationwide scrutiny of police brutality.
• Columbus employs 104 unarmed security guards, unaffiliated with police, and plans to hire 35 more this year, superintendent Talisa Dixon said Wednesday.

Funding for security equipment

• The state regularly issues grants for districts to install items such as cameras, locks and public address systems. A funding announcement from Gov. Mike DeWine came five days before the shooting.

Prevention and training

• Starting in 2023, Ohio schools serving sixth through 12th grades are required by law to establish threat assessment teams to detect signs of violence and develop intervention plans.
• Health classes must also dedicate time to suicide awareness and prevention, safety training, violence prevention and social inclusion.

• DeWine will assemble an Ohio Student Safety Advisory Council this year to give students a voice in finding solutions.

Of note: Ohio Homeland Security operates a school safety hotline (844-SAFEROH) that fields anonymous tips.

What they're saying: While "security theater" upgrades like cameras and metal detectors may make families feel safer, there's no quick fix to a complicated problem, Kenneth Trump, a Cleveland-based school safety consultant, tells Axios.

• A bipartisan response to the issue of gun violence is crucial — but with every tragedy, people become more polarized, he says.
• "The violence in schools reflects the violence and underlying issues of a broader community. Schools need to be a part of the response, but they can't solve the whole problem."