KCS board, KEA agree on plan to enact Rapid Response Team Posted on October 18, 2023 0 By TIM THOMAS Times editor Kenton City Schools and the Kenton Education Association have agreed to enact a Rapid Response Team (RRT) to respond to school emergencies. A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the KCS school board and the KEA was approved at Monday’s board meeting. Superintendent Chad Thrush said the MOU establishes the “expectations, training and determines the number of individuals” who will make up separate RRT groups at the elementary, middle school and high school. The KEA plays a key role because the program may involve the arming of bargaining unit members. Erik Grasley, co-president of the KEA, said the association has been negotiating terms associated with the RRT since the board adopted a resolution in April of 2023 to establish the program. He said the KEA will check in with Thrush throughout the year concerning the implementation of the RRT. “It’s a continuing process. We’ll see how it progresses once fully implementation takes place,” Grasley said. Both parties agreed that RRT participation is voluntary and not part of the job duties of any bargaining unit member or other employee. Thrush said, “Staff members have stepped up to be part of the Rapid Response Team. There are still opportunities to add team members, but we’ve taken a conservative approach to implementation. He added, “Team members have been heavily vetted and our training requirements are much higher than called for by state law.” The MOU agreement includes the following: Participation in the RRT program is voluntary and allows bargaining unit members to stop participation at any time without consequence. The following standards apply to bargaining unit members and exceed the minimum requirements in Ohio law and recognized best practices. – Participants shall complete a minimum of 100 hours of firearm and school setting specific armed response training at board cost. Participants will complete the first 50 hours before being eligible to carry a weapon as part of the RRT, and the remaining 50 hours within 12 months after being authorized to participate in RRT. Participants who fail to complete the minimum hours per the timeline outlined will be immediately removed from participation on the RRT. – Participants are expected to successfully complete a firearms pre-qualification program, which includes the use of deadly force, firearms use policy, general safety procedures and other relative topics, annually. – Participants will allow no one else to handle school authorized RRT weapons. All instances of negligent handling will be immediately reported to the superintendent/designee with no fear of retaliation or reprisal against the individual reporting the concern. – All records identifying participants shall be considered confidential records not subject to a public records request. – The total number of armed employees shall be capped based upon square footage of buildings, number of students, or other objective measures set as by the superintendent, determined by the board and KEA, and as defined in the RRT Emergency Management Plan amendment. – The board will provide an insurance policy of not less than $3 million per incident per participant. – The board will provide an attorney to defend each participant for all legal claims that arise out of participant’s use of a firearm in association with the RRT for self-defense or in the defense of school staff and students to prevent bodily harm or death. – The board will provide at its cost all ammunition, cleaning supplies, targets, range fees, range instruction, and holsters for participants. – Participants, at board cost, must have a weapon associated with the RRT inspected annually by a professional gunsmith and provide the board with written verification of the inspection. The MOU also provides for any participant involved in a live fire situation or who is injured in use of a school-authorized RRT weapon to be placed on paid administrative leave and complete a comprehensive mental health assessment. They must be medically and psychologically cleared as fit to return to work. If the bargaining unit member is unable to return to work, the board shall retain them as an active employee on paid administrative leave, which entitles them to all rights and benefits of the collective bargaining agreement. The parties agree to meet in May 2024 to discuss whether any changes to this MOU are needed.
