Kansas educators could soon carry concealed guns to school.
This morning, the House Insurance Committee will have a hearing on House Bill 2789. The bill would help make Kansas staff as first emergency responders, known as the SAFER Act. It creates a statewide plan to allow teachers to carry guns.
The bill would also:
- Make schools to create a comprehensive school safety plan, which would specify roles of law enforcement and emergency management teams.
- Plans would be adopted by each district, as they work with the adjutant general, Kansas Bureau of Investigation, Kansas Department of Health and Environment and other state agencies deemed necessary by the school board.
- Require districts to approve teachers who can participate. The teacher must have a license to carry a concealed handgun and desires to obtain a license with a SAFER schools endorsement to carry a concealed handgun in any building.
- Ask districts to create a list of teachers approved. The list would be confidential. School boards would go into executive session to ensure the privacy of those involved.
- Take effect by Jan. 1, 2019, if approved by the state.
The Kansas Association of School Boards and the United School Administrators of Kansas oppose the bill.
In testimony that will be presented to the committee, KASB and USA state: “This section appears to create pressure to override that local decision-making authority by creating additional liability if boards do NOT allow concealed carry by employees.”
Additionally, KASB and USA state: ” … we do not believe the state knows individual district needs and values better than the local board members elected by the community and the educators working in those communities.”
The Kansas House committee hearing is expected to take place at 8 a.m. KAKE’s Lily Wu will be in Topeka covering the latest on the hearing. To see the house bill in its entirety, click here.