CCSD 2 considers concealed carry

Governor Matt Mead last week signed into law Wyoming House Bill 194, which allows schools to develop policies regarding concealed carry of weapons on school property.

The bill, intended to increase security at rural schools farther from emergency responders, does not automatically grant concealed carry permit holders the ability to carry guns on school property. Rather, the bill allows school districts to develop their own policies in coordination with local law enforcement, and leaves it to districts to decide whether to allow concealed carry at schools.

According to Carbon County School District No.2 (CCSD No.2) superintendent of schools Jim Copeland, as of Monday, the school board had not yet considered what its policy will be.

The bill, Copeland said, has numerous conditions that must be followed, including working with local law enforcement to help develop the policy. While Copeland said he was not sure at this point what the future policy might look like, in his opinion some schools in the district that are in towns with law enforcement presence—such as Saratoga—may have a different policy than other schools in the district that are more remote.

However, discussing the issue with local law enforcement will help guide the board in development of the policy, he said.

Copeland said he planned to bring the issue up at Monday’s school board meeting in Saratoga to get the board thinking about what a future concealed carry policy at the district might look like.