An Ohio School Board Votes To Arm Janitors

The Montpelier Exempted Village Schools Board of Education, in Ohio, has unanimously voted to let school custodians carry handguns, the Toledo Blade reports.

This will be the first school district in Ohio to have armed personnel, according to the Blade.

Four custodians will be trained to carry handguns around the county's K-12 campus.

School board president Larry Martin told the Blade said the district began considering the measure six months ago but that the recent shooting in Newtown, Conn., gave the initiative a new sense of urgency.

"Our main goal is to offer safety for our students while they are in the classrooms and in the building," Martin said. "We have to do something and this seems like the most logical, reasonable course to go with."

After Adam Lanza gunned down 20 first graders on Dec. 14, the NRA called for cops in every school while other gun rights advocates have suggested teachers themselves should carry weapons.

However, school safety consultant group National School Safety and Security Services points out that arming teachers and staff comes with a potential liability for the schools.

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