The Ohio Board of Building Standards is urging school districts to hold off on purchasing classroom barricades meant to keep out an active gunman. The board is looking at changing its guidelines for blocking doors, and until then, it wants schools to keep observing current safety rules. State Impact Ohio’s Mark Urycki reports
Under the state budget bill passed in July, the Ohio Board of Building Standards is required to come up with new rules that allow barricades in schools. One of the sponsors, Representative Kristina Roegner of Hudson, said a company in her city makes barricades that require pulling just one pin so students can get out. She says it should only take one or two steps.
“Obviously there’s a shooter, you’re in a state of panic, you’re not thinking clearly. You don’t want to have to remember which way to screw something in, then you pull the pin… you need to be simple.”
Hudson schools have already installed the devices.
But the standards board says Ohio’s current building code must be followed:
(1) Egress doors should be readily openable from the egress side without the use of a key or special knowledge;
(2) Door handles, pulls, latches, locks and other operating devices on doors shall not require tight grasping, tight pinching or twisting of the wrist to operate; and
(3) The unlatching of any door shall not require more than one operation. Doors in the means of egress must be readily openable from the egress side without the use of a key or special knowledge or effort;
Licking County was ordered to remove its barricades last year. New safety guidelines are expected by March.