Members of the Weston County School District Board of Trustees spent the longest portion of their meeting discussing whether to craft a local policy to govern staff who want to carry firearms on school property after recent state legislation. The board did not adopt a policy at the meeting; trustees directed the district attorney to review policies from other districts and return recommendations for further consideration.

The issue was raised by Board Chair (name not specified) as a discussion item; Superintendent Brad (full name not provided in transcript) and District Attorney Abby participated in the deliberations. Superintendent Brad said he was concerned about imposing a local policy at this point given the recentness of the state law and recommended waiting to see how larger districts proceed so smaller districts could learn from their experience. “I just don't know if anyone's really thought about the idea… time is on our side,” he said during the discussion.

Abby, the district attorney, told trustees the choice was discretionary but legally complex. “From a legal standpoint, it really is dealer's choice what the board wants to do,” she said, adding that some districts are choosing not to enact policies and others are adopting policies that may later be tested in court. She noted that the statute limits what districts can require: if an individual pays for their own training, the district may be restricted in asking whether they are certified. “If the individual pays for their training and certification on their own, we are not allowed to ask if they are certified,” she said.

Trustees and staff repeatedly raised practical concerns the board would face if it adopted a policy: training content and oversight, whether the district could require and fund training, the potential for employees to face employment-law claims if the district required medical or psychological screening, and the likely insurance and liability consequences. Board member Jason said he liked provisions in some drafts that required stop-the-bleeding and tactical first aid training; board member Kyle asked whether psych evaluations could be required and Abby warned that requiring mental-health screening would create significant employment-law risks.

Several trustees said they were uneasy about acting immediately. “I am leery of jumping into a policy until maybe some time has passed, and we see what the other larger schools have gone through,” said one trustee. Others voiced urgency about staff safety and the possibility that staff could already be carrying concealed firearms under state law; one trustee urged caution about waiting because “there's likely going to be someone carrying into school every day who's teaching starting in August.”

Trustees asked Abby to review multiple model policies (Gillette, Campbell County and Teton County were specifically referenced) and to provide a red-line or commentary on which provisions could legally be adopted and which would conflict with state law. The board agreed to continue the conversation at upcoming meetings (June 11 and the board's June meeting schedule was discussed); if the board decides to adopt policy language it expects to proceed through multiple readings to allow staff and community input.

No formal policy vote was taken at the meeting. Instead, the board directed the attorney to provide analysis and suggested language for future consideration and set the topic for further discussion at the June meeting cycle.

Ending: Trustees emphasized the issue's complexity and the need for community and staff input; they expect to review draft policy options and legal analysis provided by the district attorney before taking a formal vote.