Staff allowed to carry firearms

Colcord school district takes safety measures.

As the superintendent, as the board of education as the administration, we just felt like if we could possibly save some lives then why not do it. Bud Simmons, superintendent Colcord Schools

COLCORD, Okla. — Colcord Schools is one of the first local districts to arm school staff members since Oklahoma passed a law in 2015 allowing school districts to authorize employees to carry handguns.

The Colcord School Board passed a policy in January 2018 allowing the school to arm select employees, including both teachers and support staff, who have passed stringent training requirements, according to Superintendent Bud Simmons.

The district has been very conservative and thorough in the process of implementing the policy and only recently hung signs that state, “Please be aware that certain staff members at Colcord Public Schools can be legally armed and may use whatever force is necessary to protect our students,” he said.

Oklahoma passed a law in 2015 allowing local school boards to adopt a policy to authorize staff members to carry handguns if they have an armed security guard license or a reserve peace officer certification, according to the Oklahoma State Courts Network website.

In Arkansas, schools are allowed to hire employees with armed security guard certification, however the Siloam Springs School District has no plans to arm teachers or school employees, according to Superintendent Jody Wiggins. Instead, the district relies on a strong school resource officer program, with five officers in the district, as well as a host of other safety measures.

Colcord’s first step toward