The Park County School District #6 school board in Cody voted Tuesday to table the first reading of a policy which would allow employees to carry firearms. The decision to postpone further action comes with the condition that the board send out a survey to teachers and the community within the next month.
During the meeting, board members expressed concern that budget and insurance questions posed by the public were still unanswered.
The hour long discussion centered around whether certain members wanted to table the policy in order to stall voting on the policy, while others argued there is no reason to rush such a complicated policy.
“I personally don’t feel comfortable voting on a policy that I don’t fully understand,” said Kelly Simone, the board chair, in response. “But I am prepared to vote if that’s what we want to do.”
The board requires at least three readings before the policy can be implemented. The Park County school board started debating the policy after the state legislature passed a law in the 2017 legislative session allowing school districts to choose whether their employees can carry guns. A survey directed to the community and teachers will be available online before the next board meeting.
