Senators Patton and Reynolds testified before the Ohio Senate Education Committee in favor of Senate Bill 290, a proposal that would require every public and chartered nonpublic school building in the state to install an exterior secure master key box at a location designated by local law enforcement by June 30, 2027.

Senator Patton told Chair Senator Brenner and committee members the boxes are “a tangible security measure that doesn't involve expensive equipment or a significant change to policy,” and said the measure aligns with recommendations from the U.S. Department of Justice. Senator Reynolds, the joint sponsor, cited the Uvalde, Texas, shooting as part of the rationale, saying that after the shooting “it took 77 minutes for police to access the area where the shooter was located.” The sponsors said similar laws exist in Texas, North Carolina, Minnesota, Utah and Missouri and that other states are considering comparable measures.

Under the bill, each key box must meet nationally accepted testing standards for tamper resistance (the sponsors referenced standards used for gun and key safes) and districts may apply for School Safety Grant funds to pay for the boxes. Sponsors noted House Bill 96 appropriated $10 million in each of fiscal years 2026 and 2027 for school safety purposes; they said the bill is not intended as an unfunded mandate. Sponsors also said the Attorney General’s school safety program estimated a statewide purchase through that program would cost roughly $2,300,000 (sponsor‑provided estimate) and that funds would remain available for other measures such as cameras.

Committee members raised questions about how the boxes would fit with existing emergency plans and whether local law enforcement already holds building keys or blueprints. Sponsors said the boxes are intended to work alongside existing emergency plans and that local law enforcement would determine the box placement so responders could access keys promptly. An analysis cited in the hearing said boxes could include master internal keys, access cards and building floor plans to assist responding officers and emergency personnel.

Vice Chair Blessing and other members discussed broader school‑safety options such as co‑locating police facilities or using resource officers; sponsors said the bill is a focused, low‑cost measure to reduce delays in building access during active incidents and that further law‑enforcement testimony would follow.

The committee held a first hearing on SB 290; no committee vote was taken on the bill at this hearing.