Wadsworth staff, students shocked to learn school used in gun program

WADSWORTH — An active shooter training exercise held over the summer at Wadsworth High School resulted in a surprise for district staff and students after footage from the event was used in a national TV show endorsing the arming of teachers. Renting out the building to various groups in summer months is a regular occurrence. The shooter training was held as part of the FASTER Saves Lives program, which provides weapons training to teachers under the umbrella of then Columbus-based Buckeye Firearms Association. FASTER, standing for Faculty / Administrator Safety Training & Emergency Response, was established in 2012 in the aftermath of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Newtown, Connecticut. "Our policy for building rentals is used for any outside group," said Superintendent Andy Hill said. "We had the request come in to use the building for training and followed that process. We didn't realize part of the training would be filmed to be part of this show. We were fully aware of what activity was happening in the summer with the training." The situation was first reported last week by the school's student newspaper, The Bruin. According the The Bruin, the training went on without the knowledge of students, parents, or most staff members. Hill said that administration was made aware of the nature of the training session but not that video footage would be used for television. Footage from WHS aired this past Saturday in a 20-minute segment on The Outdoor Channel. A preview of that segment can be found online. In ensuing discussions with WHS students, Hill said that he referenced a 2018 community forum held shortly after the Marjorie Stoneman Douglass High School shooting in Parkland, Florida. That talk led to the school district formerly deciding against the arming of teachers while taking additional building safety measures such as the hiring of one additional school resource officer. Ohio teachers have been permitted to carry guns since 2013 with official policy left up to individual districts. According to a report last year by VICE News, the number of school districts arming teachers nearly doubled from 250 to 466 following the Marjorie Stoneman Douglass High School shooting, which left 17 people dead and injured 17 more. "We added the second resource officer among a wide variety of other things to keep our buildings safe," Hill said. "However, our board made it very clear at that time they weren't interested in allowing staff to be armed. That continues to be the stance of the school district." Andrew Blubaugh, a Wadsworth police officer and firearms instructor affiliated with FASTER who helped lead the WHS training session, acknowledged that the school district was not made aware of plans to use footage for TV. "The application was probably 15 pages long, but it didn't have anything asking whether anything will be used for media," he said. "If it asked on the application or if we knew it would have caused any sort of issue, we would've let them know. We get a lot of media requests coming in all the time. If they allow us to continue to use the building in the future, we'll certainly let them know about any possible media coming in to see what their feelings are." Hill said the district will consider adding such questions to its rental application. Currently, 19 states allow school staff, which can range from administrators to bus drivers, to carry guns. Between 2017 and 2019, the FASTER program received $200,000 in funding from the state of Ohio, according to the organization's website. Chris Cerino, a Wadsworth native and Rittman police officer, also helps lead FASTER training courses. The former federal agent has competed on The History Channel's "Top Shot" reality TV show. Initiatives to arm teachers have been officially opposed organizations including the American Federation of Teachers, National Education Association and National Association of School Resource Officers. A 2018 study by the United States National Library of Medicine, a branch of the National Institutes of Health, found existing arguments regarding the effectiveness of arming teachers inconclusive on both sides — stating that "a multitude of questions remain regarding the nuances and logistics of arming teachers. In addition, the efficiency and return-on-investment for this kind of costly effort, with little if any existing evidence, are unclear." The same study cited legislative and educational efforts reducing youth access to guns, increased mental health services aiming to proactively recognize violent behavior, and promotion of positive and nurturing school environments as the most proven and effective methods of protection against school shooting incidents. "This is my personal opinion and that's not to be associated with the Wadsworth Police Department," Blubaugh said. "I was at the community meeting last year as the police trainer. It's my personal opinion that law enforcement cannot respond fast enough. Security is all about depth and layers. I feel that having someone armed within the building is a crucial step. The people who are on-scene if something ever happens are the first responders. Whether it's medical or security, they are the true first responders." "If we don't train people to be appropriate first responders, it puts them at a severe disadvantage," he added. "Wadsworth has phenomenal response times, but there's still a reactionary gap to bridge. That's just to get on-scene and doesn't include time spent to get to a specific location in the building." Contact reporter Jonathan Delozier at (330) 721-4050 or jdelozier@medina-gazette.com.