The policy will prohibit concealed carry permit holders from carrying a handgun into an Ashland school or on district property
Citing the need for a new policy in place when school starts, the Ashland School Board on Tuesday unanimously approved a ban on concealed weapons in schools and anywhere on district property, with the exception of unloaded weapons stored in a vehicle or lawfully carried weapons. execution
The policy, drafted with help from the Oregon School Boards Association, also requires signs to be posted in Ashland schools notifying the public of the prohibition on concealed carry.
The policy also outlines possible punishments, saying anyone who doesn’t comply can be told to leave the district’s property, issued a trespassing citation and referred to police.
The policy was created as a result of state Senate Bill 554, which gives school boards the power to prohibit concealed carry permit holders from carrying such weapons on school premises. State law says violations could lead to a year in jail, a $6,250 fine, or both.
“Thank you for the excellent work. I appreciate you pushing us, even without our fifth person, to put important policies in place for the safety and well-being of all our students and stakeholders before the ‘beginning of the school year,” said School Board President Victor Chang, referring to Superintendent Samuel Bogdanove, who discussed the policy Tuesday with the board before its approval.
“I think it’s really important to make that strong statement, collectively, as a board right before school starts,” Chang said.
Aug. 31 will be a half-day of school for first- through sixth-graders as well as ninth-graders, while Sept. 1 is the first full day of school in Ashland for all grade levels.
The new gun policy went into effect after receiving a second reading by the Ashland School Board. A draft of the policy was presented to the board in July, after a number of other school boards, including West Linn, Wilsonville and Portland, passed their own concealed weapons bans.
Since the bans in those districts went into effect, Salem-Keizer Public Schools and the Eugene School District have followed suit.
Although SB 554 was passed during the 2021 legislative session, few school districts have used it. That changed amid news of a May 24 mass shooting at Robb Elementary in Texas that left 19 children and two teachers dead.
In addition to approving the concealed carry ban Tuesday, the Ashland School Board amended the existing gun policy, which prohibits students from carrying a concealed weapon to school or face expulsion . The new language says the superintendent can provide alternative programming, including counseling, for students in those situations.
Other new language added to the existing policy emphasizes the federal Gun-Free School Zones Act of 1990, which prohibits the possession or discharge of a firearm in a school zone, defined as being on or on the premises school or within 1,000 feet of school grounds.
Another new segment of the existing policy relates to school employees. If they know someone with a firearm was at a school or on district property, they have 120 days to report it to law enforcement. The employee would be protected from legal liability for reporting such incidents.
Also, new language was added to existing policy authorizing the superintendent of Ashland schools to allow people with guns to carry them on campus with the exception of courses, programs and activities, but a district official he said no schools in Ashland offer that type of programming now.
Contact reporter Kevin Opsahl at 541-776-4476 or kopsahl@rosebudmedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @KevJourno.
