At their July meeting, the Sigourney School board discussed newly instated state laws that allow teachers to carry firearms on school property and in school buildings with district approval and a special permit. Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds signed House File 2586 into law in April. The new legislation builds on a 2021 law that allowed schools to authorize faculty to carry firearms, by giving the district the authority to allow teachers and staff who undergo safety training to get a professional permit. That permit protects them from criminal or civil liability in a case where force is used, if it’s deemed to be reasonable. The law also has a built-in provision allowing districts to vote against allowing gun possession.

Board members and administrators with the Sigourney district cited the possibility of accidents, the need for enhanced rules and training, and the fact that most members of staff have voiced an unwillingness to use a firearm to stop a threat from a student or colleague, during a threat like an active-shooter scenario. The board voted on and approved a ban on teachers and staff carrying firearms with an exception for school resource officers.