MANCHESTER, Ohio —After revealing the intent to arm school staff, Manchester Local Schools Superintendent Brian Rau posted answers to some frequently asked questions people may have with the situation in the school district’s February newsletter .
To ensure the safety of students in the event of an active shooter situation, Rau said it is necessary to have someone ready to respond to the threat. Due to the lack of a police department in Manchester — the department was disbanded in 2017 — the Adams County Sheriff’s Office poses the only law enforcement agency to the town.
Since he announced the decision to arm staff, Rau said the response has been somewhat positive to the notion, albeit with some still having some questions in regards to some logistical and ethical issues.
“The majority of people who have come to me have been positive,” he said.
Rau, in an attempt to address some concerns and inquiries, answered a number of questions in regard to how the situation of allowing staff to carry firearms will carry out once a resolution is passed sometime this year.
Rau said in the newsletter that staff members will undergo training by the Tactical Defense Institute using the Faculty/Administrator Safety Training and Emergency Response Program, or FASTER, in West Union, Ohio, and that the program itself is strictly voluntary. According to Rau, the trainers, trainees and weapons will be identical to law enforcement.
“Those individuals will train for several hours over the course of several days, and must pass this course; not everyone passes this course,” he said. “The training is extremely rigorous and is mentally and physically difficult.”
A combination of Rau, a deputy from the Adams County Sheriff’s Office and the School Resource Officer will be responsible for evaluating volunteers and determining who will be sent to the TDI training. If a staff member shows that they are not mentally competent to carry a weapon, then they will not be allowed to do so.
Training through TDI will be free, Rau said, with the Buckeye Firearms Association paying for five people to undergo the training. Despite the possibility for five people to take the training for free, Rau said he wants to be thorough in determining who is fit for the program.
“Of the applicants, if we only see three of them that would fit the criteria we’re looking for, then we’ll only send three,” he said.
With this Q and A, Rau said he does not intend to change anyone’s mindset or personal values when it comes to firearms, but just to help others better understand what the school district’s plan to arm staff will entail.
To further supplement the information posted in the newsletter, Rau also said he will also be putting additional information about the FASTER program in the March newsletter.
To see the Q and A in its entirety, visit the Manchester Local School’s website to find the link for the February newsletter.
