GILLETTE, Wyo. (AP) - Trustees in a Wyoming school district have advanced regulations that would allow educators to conceal carry handguns in six rural elementary schools.
Five Campbell County School District trustees approved the 30-page proposal on its first reading, The Gillette News Record reported Wednesday.
Arming educators saves the time it takes for law enforcement to respond to incidents at rural schools, officials said.
The proposal does not name the elementary schools, but meeting the definitions of “rural and distant schools” are Recluse, Little Powder, 4J, Rozet, Rawhide and Conestoga, officials said.
The proposal addresses concerns voiced by the public in a yearslong effort that included hearings and surveys.
The policy was prompted by school shootings across the country and a desire to protect students, trustee Joe Lawrence said.
It is unclear how much the program will cost, but the district is expected to pay for everything except firearms and holsters, officials said.
Before educators could be armed, the local policy requires 56 hours of district-approved training, with participants showing at least 80% proficiency in the Wyoming Law Enforcement Academy’s close-range pistol proficiency course.
The proposal also requires 24 hours of scenario-based training, including de-escalation and verbal-control techniques.
“I don’t believe it’s the teacher’s job, that teachers have to protect their students,” Thunder Basin High School student Mason Westervelt said during a public comment period, adding that teachers could become targets. “We cannot prove that every teacher can do this.”
The board of trustees is expected to approve the measure in a final reading after three public hearings, officials said.
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