Armed janitors to protect Ohio school after Sandy Hook

Saying it couldn’t sit back and do nothing, an Ohio school board has approved armed janitors for Montpelier Exempted Village Schools, a kindergarten to Grade 12 campus of 1,000 students.

Trustees at the Williams County school district voted 5-0 on Wednesday to provide training for four janitors to carry concealed weapons, The Toldedo Blade reported.

They didn’t want another Sandy Hook shooting to happen on their grounds, but admitted they began investigating the idea six months ago.

“Sitting back and doing nothing and hoping it doesn’t happen to you is just not good policy anymore,” superintendent Jamie Grime said a day after the vote.

“Having guns in the hands of the right people are not a hindrance. They are a means to protect.”

“We have to do something and this seems like the most logical, reasonable course to go with,” school board president Larry Martin told The Blade.

The four "school employees" – the school board wouldn’t confirm to The Associated Press they were janitors – volunteered to carry the guns and will undergo a two-day training course.

“Putting a firearm in a school is a huge step,” told the AP. “We’re going to do it properly. These people need the proper training.”

Ohio isn’t alone in its thinking, The Washington Post said.

As many as 12 states are considering armed guards, a solution suggested by the National Rifle Association.

Butler, Pennsylvania, school superintendent Mike Strutt is pondering the same move.

“This could happen here,” Strutt told The Post. “Armed guards are the one thing that give us a fighting chance. Don’t we want that one thing?”

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