Molly Bloom / StateImpact Ohio
Starting next year, school districts will be allowed to place levies on the ballot specifically for the purpose of increasing safety measures.
Gov. John Kasich signed the bill letting school boards ask the community to help fund ramped-up safety precautions.The bill was just one of several ideas stemming from the recent outbreak of school violence, such as the Chardon High School shooting that left three students dead in 2012.
Republican State Sen. Gayle Manning of North Ridgeville stresses that there’s no mandate here, just another tool to help districts keep students safe.“When our community leaders come to us with an idea that will give them the ability to make local decisions that the community can agree upon, I believe we have an obligation to at least allow them to go to their voters,” she said.Some critics say this doesn’t go far enough in protecting students.Democratic Senator Joe Schiavoni of Youngstown worries that this only helps the districts that have members in the community willing to foot the bill for safety upgrades.