CHEYENNE — Laramie County School District 1 refrained from putting out a draft gun policy for public comment this week after the district’s lawyer said she hadn’t had enough time to consider its legal implications.
Per legislation passed earlier this year to repeal gun-free zones across the state, any adult with a concealed-carry permit can lawfully carry on school district campuses as of July 1. The statute allows districts to make policies that set training and conduct standards; however, those policies would only affect staff and volunteers.
Following the board’s last meeting, two drafts of the policy, meant to comply with the provisions of House Bill 172, were sent to the district’s Policy Advisory Committee for feedback.
“This is a tight, tight timeline, from the end of the session to July 1,” LCSD1 attorney Amy Pauli told the board. “… Our goal was to have a draft ready for you to vote on to put out for 45-day public comment tonight, and unfortunately we just weren’t able to make that.”
Public concerns
Regardless of whether the policy is ready for the public to review, a few concerned residents took the opportunity to address broader concerns about guns in schools with the board.
One teacher in the district told the board that, as a person born and raised in Wyoming with ample experience with schools and extensive exposure to guns, she hoped the district would develop a policy that would protect kids.
The teacher acknowledged that changing these processes was beyond the scope of the board. However, she did endorse safety measures in line with Cheyenne Teachers Education Association (CTEA) recommendations.
These recommendations included: metal detectors at large events; biometric locks for staff access; capping ammunition amounts and regulating the type of weapons allowed by staff; and requiring specific holsters with trigger guards and fasteners to keep firearms secure.
She also echoed the need for staff to receive high-intensity training.
One of the policies presented was by local parent and Moms for Liberty Laramie County Chapter Chairwoman Patricia McCoy. The other was a committee policy.
McCoy’s policy was presented via petition signed by several community members and is not affiliated with Moms for Liberty, according to McCoy.
McCoy commended the board for its efforts on the policy. Although she prepared remarks regarding the draft policy, a draft policy was not presented at Monday’s meeting.
Dylan Ford, president of the CTEA, expressed concern from teachers about their own safety working under the new law. Ford echoed CTEA recommendations for safety.
Ford spoke on behalf of some concerned CTEA members, a few of whom have already resigned and are seeking other employment because of the new law.
The district was unable to confirm that any district employees had resigned due to the law. Ford echoed the need to take serious safety precautions.
“The likelihood of an actual shooting is fairly low,” Ford said. “However, there are some things that are absolutely certain. False alarms are absolutely certain. In fact, East (High School) alone has already had multiple this year, and just the general chaos of the classroom. When you get groups of kids together, there’s going to be a little bit of chaos.”
At the end of the meeting, Trustee Barbara Cook took a moment to acknowledge the fears that some community members have.
“I think it’s appropriate that we acknowledge that at least I have — and I know many people have — heard trepidation and fear, from parents, students, teachers, principals,” Cook said. “So know that as trustees. We get that, we hear you, we know that there’s some real concerns out there. Also, we will follow the law. No matter what the policy is, we need to follow that law.”
Policy concerns
The draft policy will have to include training requirements, per statute, which contributed to the lack of a draft policy at Monday’s meeting.
The district also has to determine how the policy will impact its insurance and how the policy will apply to Freedom Elementary, which sits on federal lands leased to the district by the U.S. Air Force, according to Pauli.
“The district is exploring options for general liability insurance that would cover incidents involving firearms,” LCSD1 Community Relations Director Mary Quast said.
Even if the district requires individuals to have their own insurance, an option Quast says has been considered, the current liability policy does not cover incidents involving firearms.
“Staff has been working with our insurance, and we are not covered,” Pauli told the board. “No district in the state, unless you’ve already had an existing policy, is covered. Most insurance companies are handing out declarations that say, ‘You’re not going to be covered.’”
Another major concern is Freedom Elementary, since it’s on federal property.
“We (might) need to put in language that basically says Freedom is only included in this policy if specifically approved by the United States Air Force,” Pauli advised the board. “We don’t want to put anything that would contradict what the Air Force expects of us or that would jeopardize potentially our lease of that property.”
To accommodate for concerns around insurance, training requirements and Freedom Elementary’s status on federal property, Pauli said the policy would at best be ready by early May.
A major concern is the required public comment extending past July 1 due to continued edits to an incomplete draft.
“What I don’t want to have happen is we put forward something for a 45-day public review and we end up changing it, either based on public comment or further conversations with our law enforcement officials,” Pauli said. “And changing the training requirements and then needing to go out for a second 45-day review, because that puts us out 90 days.”
The next school board meeting is May 5, at which time the board hopes to see a draft policy.