Sheriff says he will use billboards to blast local school boards on security

Butler County’s top law officer and his public pressuring campaign of schools to improve their security will soon be coming to roadway near you.

This news outlet has exclusively learned that Butler County Sheriff Richard Jones will soon erect roadside billboards with messages calling for local school boards to quickly upgrade their school security against deadly, armed attacks.

“When school boards say their schools are safe, to a certain degree they are telling the truth,” said Jones.

But, he added, “they are safe as they are willing to pay.”

In the weeks following the Parkland, Fla. school shooting that saw an armed former student kill 17 students and staffers, Jones has conducted an unprecedented public lobbying campaign pressuring Butler County school boards to quickly add security to their schools.

Using social media, Jones has campaigned to have county residents – even those who do not live within the communities patrolled by the Sheriff department – pressure their local board members to strengthen security.

Jones has also offered free Conceal Carry Weapon (CCW) training to school staffers in hopes that his idea of arming some teachers and staffers in schools is adopted by local school districts.

But some school boards are moving too slow, he complains.

So as early as May, motorists in some Butler County school systems – Jones declined to name which ones he is targeting – will see billboards with messages critical of local board members in regards to what he considers inadequate school security.

“When you are looking at (saving) lives, you can’t wait,” he said.

Of the school boards that don’t make security updates, Jones warned, “I will be their worst enemy.”

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