Board votes; security staff permitted to carry firearms
The Thompson School District Board of Education voted 4-2 Wednesday to allow staff members who undergo training to carry concealed firearms on campus during work hours.
District spokesman Michael Hausmann clarified that the spirit of the resolution only pertains to existing security staff hired by the district, not teachers.
The motion was approved without discussion, despite being marked as a discussion item on the board’s agenda.
The resolution took effect immediately, and the district’s Chief Operations Officer Todd Piccone, said the “school security officers,” or armed staff members, could appear in schools sometime this year.
The motion to approve armed staff members was made by board member Pam Howard, who voted in favor alongside fellow board members Nancy Rumfelt and Alexandra Lessem, as well as board president Barb Kruse. Board members Dawn Kirk and Amy Doran voted against the motion. Board member Stu Boyd was absent from Wednesday’s meeting.
Without public discussion, details on the board’s reasoning were not aired. Piccone said that an executive session between the board and the district’s attorney was held previously to review risk and state statute.
Public commenters at the board’s meetings in the weeks and months after the May 24 tragedy at Robb Elementary School in Texas, where 20 school children and one educator were killed in one of the deadliest school shootings in U.S. history, urged school board members to allow teachers and other staff to carry weapons as security against potential shootings at district schools.
Also a factor, and one that was cited in the resolution approving staff to carry weapons: the budget.
The resolution said that the district had a safe schools plan, but that “due to ongoing budget shortfalls among the District and local law enforcement agencies, (Thompson) has been unable to arrange for or hire adequate school resource officers or other peace officers to be on school property as needed.” It did not address numbers of the shortage.
It is currently unclear how many staff members are interested, prepared or willing to participate as school security officers, or how staff members feel about the program in general. Piccone declined to answer a question regarding how many staff members would participate.
The Thompson Education Association, which represents teachers within the district, was not consulted on the program prior to the vote, according to its president, Andy Crisman.
The federal Gun Free Schools Act and Colorado statute prohibit civilians carrying firearms on school grounds, but have exceptions for staff members if the school district approves a program like the one the Thompson Board of Education approved Wednesday night.
School security officers will concealed carry, which means that they will not expose the firearm to public view as a police officer would.