St. Maries School District will allow staff to carry concealed firearms

ST. MARIES – A rural North Idaho school district will allow teachers to carry guns in the classroom beginning next school year.

The St. Maries School Board approved a final reading of its concealed carry policy late Monday night in a 4-0 vote, as well as a subpolicy outlining the application process. The district has about 900 students enrolled across four schools.

District staff and school board trustees who are interested can apply to carry guns on school property under the policy. Participants must have an Enhanced Concealed Carry Weapons License from the state of Idaho and must complete a 40-hour training, unless they have equivalent experience such as through military service, according to the policy. An inexperienced carrier would need to have been employed by the district for at least two years.

The program is voluntary and participants will not receive any additional pay or benefits. Firearms must be concealed at all times either on their person or in a district-approved locked container.

Applicants will be screened on their staff evaluations and disciplinary records, and will be interviewed in an executive session with the board, superintendent, their building principal and a representative from the sheriff’s office. The names of those approved will not be public.

The permit will be reviewed annually and carriers must complete eight hours of additional training each subsequent year. The permit may be revoked at any time if the staff member faces any disciplinary action.

Any discharge of a firearm on school property, whether intentional or accidental, will be reported to law enforcement.

The district will have signage on school campuses warning that authorized staff may be armed.

A district news release in February said the policy is part of a larger approach for safety and security of students and staff that has focused on prevention. Building improvements have included two-door buzz-in entrances, surveillance cameras and exterior lighting. The district also focuses on supporting “the behavior and mental stability” of its students.

According to a district survey with 131 responses, 68% of parents strongly approved of the policy while 14% strongly disapproved. Of 52 staff members surveyed, 40.4% approved while 38.5% disapproved. Survey comments in support of the policy said it would help teachers protect students, while those against said it will increase risk of an accident.

At least two other districts in Idaho have similar policies.

Garden Valley School District, in a mountainous area in Southern Idaho with long waits for emergency responders, approved its concealed weapons policy in 2014. As of last year, the school resource officer and the IT director are the only two employees who carry, according to a report by Idaho News 6.

Mountain View School District in Grangeville approved a policy in 2017; however, the policy is under review by the school board and no employees are carrying this school year, Superintendent Alica Holthaus said.

A proposed bill in the Idaho House would allow school employees with a concealed permit to carry in all school districts. Another bill failed last year that would have allowed school staff to carry without disclosure to their school board.