GOSHEN COUNTY – Should staff carry firearms on school property? The Goshen County School District (GCSD) No. 1 Board of Trustees began preliminary discussion on the subject at a special meeting and work session recently.
“I think we have a responsibility, especially to our rural schools, for safety,” Trustee Rod Wagner said to kick off the conversation. “I’m really concerned about the response time (to Southeast and LaGrange). Lingle doesn’t have a full-time police officer at the school.”
The discussion-only agenda item was prompted by House Bill 194, “School Safety and Security,” which was signed into law in March and gives the board of trustees the power to “adopt rules and regulations to allow the possession of firearms by employees possessing a valid concealed carry permit.”
Dialogue ramped up statewide following the release of a Wyoming Department of Education’s non-regulatory guidance document on the issue in late September. Earlier this month, the school board in Cody spent several hours working on a potential policy – the most recent in a series of work sessions and conversations about the bill there.
“I look at it a couple different ways,” GCSD Board Chairman Charlie Harshberger said. “What kind of training is involved for a teacher to have a gun? … the last thing we want is a child getting hurt because of a mishap. When the police come in, who do they shoot? … this person has a gun and this person has a gun … I’m concerned about the safety of everyone.”
The board brought up several questions surrounding the issue, including where the responsibility lies for purchasing and maintaining the weaponry, the amount of training required, the potential impact on insurance rates, school safety and more.
Trustees agreed to follow suit with Cody and send out surveys to staff, law enforcement and other constituents for their opinions on the matter.
“I had quite a few teachers come up to me, they knew we were talking about this tonight, (and were) upset we would even be considering it. I would like to find out if that’s a minority or a majority,” Trustee Dean Harshberger said. “There are tons of questions … but we need to start some groundwork.”
“People feel so strongly about this issue,” Trustee Christine Miller said. “Yes, we’re discussing it, but we’re researching it and taking the (necessary) steps. We’re doing it the right way.”
