Concealed carry conversation continues with school board

WORLAND – For the past couple of months, Washakie County School Board District No. 1 has been discussing their need to put together a committee for a concealed carry rule throughout the district. Discussions continued at Monday's regular board meeting.

Led by Superintendent David Nicholas, this conversation was kicked off with a survey released last month by the school board. The survey, which is submitted anonymously, takes input from staff, parents, students and community members about how they feel about drafting a rule allowing employees to conceal carry in school buildings. The survey allows them to choose on whether they feel if this would make their schools safer, less safe, or have no effect. This survey is still available on the school district's website.

Nicholas reported to the board Monday that he has been in contact with the law firm Copenhaver, Kitchen and Kolpitcke out of Powell who will help write the policies for the concealed carry rule.

"We're not making a policy, we're making a rule," Nicholas said. "Where concealed carry was put forward by the Legislature they did by rule. And so what we're asking this committee to do is put together a rule that we would bring to you and then you would vote that up or down. They're not voting on this, they're presenting a rule to you."

Nicholas explained that the first thing to happen after being presented the rule would be a 45-day waiting period to adopt a rule. They must then have a public hearing, then must vote up or down on the rule.

BACKGROUND ON CONCEALED CARRY

According to State Legislature 21-3-132 – section A, "The board of trustees in each school district may adopt rules and regulations in consultation with the local law enforcement to allow the possession of firearms and employees possessing a valid concealed carry permit under W.S. 6-8-104 on or in any property or facility owned or leased by the school district. Employees of a school district who hold a valid concealed carry permit issued under W.S. 6-8-104 may carry a concealed firearm on or into school facilities or other areas designated by the board of trustees, provided by the employing school district has adopted rules and regulations that allow possession of firearms on school property and the employee has received approval by the board of trustees as required by this section.

According to section B, "employee" means any person employed by the school district. This includes superintendents, principals, teachers, counselors, librarians, teacher's aids, coaches, bus managers, secretaries and bus drivers.

Section C states that the district must establish an application and approval process for employees possessing a valid concealed carry permit to carry a firearm on school property. This section requires that any person carrying a firearm pursuant to this section to maintain the firearm on his or her person at all times or in a concealed biometric container or lock box within the direct control of the individual at all times.

District No. 1 is not the first school in the Washakie County to propose a concealed carry policy. Ten Sleep School started working on their policy in 2017 when the Legislature first announced the concealed carry policy. However, the policy was delayed in 2018 after a district court judge ruled that proper procedure was not followed by Unita County School District No. 1 in adopting a policy that would allow approved staff to conceal carry firearms.

According to an article in the Northern Wyoming Daily News, written by Tracie Mitchell, the Ten Sleep School board had their firearms policy polished and ready for its first reading at their next meeting but the Uinta County lawsuit and two absent board members prompted a delay.

The policy was picked up once again in 2019. According to an article in the Northern Wyoming News by Seth Romsa, final approval was given in September 2019, officially approving five teachers for concealed carry at Ten Sleep School after they were able to pass a psychological examination, a class put on by the Worland Police Department and a drug test to garner final approval to conceal carry.