Guns in Lemoore schools? Local school officials say gun issue needs more study

At stake is a fresh look at allowing guns on a campus that for many years has claimed a “gun free” presence. The only guns on campus belonged to a series of Lemoore police officers acting as Youth Development Officers (YDOs).  

While only informational at this point, Lemoore, like Kingsburg, could in fact authorize its school employees to carry guns but probably not before a serious effort to understand the law and its possible impacts are on local students, parents, teachers and staff.

Lemoore High School Board Member Kathy Neves told The Leader that the Lemoore district is in fact in the process of compiling additional information from the Kingsburg Joint Union High School District about its new policy, which the school board, on April 11, voted for unanimously, and which will allow a limited number of school employees the authority to carry concealed weapons in the district. The policy went into effect immediately.

Neves, a longtime member of the LHS School Board, said nothing will be decided until the Lemoore High School District does its due diligence, gathering information, contacting Kingsburg officials, consulting parents and teachers, and asking for local law enforcement input. She’s not against the policy, but she intends to wait until she gets additional information.

“We have contacted Kingsburg,” said Neves. “We want to know why they did it. It’s something we just now started looking into.”

She said there are already many guns in society, some carried by “crazies.” Neves also has concerns about Lemoore’s campus, with its wide open spaces and sometimes easy access, despite the visibly imposing wrought iron fences that guard much of the campus. “There are still a lot of places where people can get in,” she said.

“There’s just so much to look into” when it comes to guns on campus, she said. “We’re a long way off” from any decision. “I also want to see what (Lemoore Police Chief) Darrell Smith thinks. Last week (April 21) was the first time we talked about it. There are a lot of stakeholders that we need to communicate with, and we’re going to get all the information we can before we even talk about it.”

The sudden move by some districts to allow weapons on campus is the result of recent legislation which now allows guns on campus, as long as the employees receive permission from the school superintendent. In Kingsburg’s case, Superintendent Randy Morris said a limited number of employees, probably five, will have to complete special training in order to carry a weapon on campus. A staff member’s discipline record, evaluations and school conduct will also be taken into consideration.

As a parent “I would absolutely want someone there to neutralize the threat as soon as possible.” Police Chief Darrell Smith

Lemoore Chief of Police Darrell Smith, a Lemoore High School graduate, agrees with Kingsburg’s policy and would work with the Lemoore Districts to implement a new policy if asked. “If they came to me, I would do it,” he said. “I think if the policies are in place, I think it’s potentially a good idea.”

He also suggested that any school employee that gets the okay to carry a gun must have the right training and background in order to carry a weapon on campus. A concealed weapon permit is simply not enough, he said. He would insist that all employees authorized to carry guns undergo preliminary and ongoing training.

“If you have the right training as a citizen” it can be a positive development, he added. “If you don’t have (ongoing) training it can be detrimental. It (the policy) could potentially save some lives – maybe a lot of lives,” said Smith.

For example, if an active shooter broached the campus a teacher with a gun may be able to help law enforcement by neutralizing the shooter. While Lemoore does have a permanent police officer stationed on campus, he or she may not be able to react in time. In the meantime, a potential shooter may do some damage. As a parent “I would absolutely want someone there to neutralize the threat as soon as possible.”

Smith said his department would go above and beyond in insuring that any employees authorized to carry guns on campus are trained well – and continue with ongoing training. He also suggested that the district manage the number of licensed carriers, limiting the number to perhaps five to make it easier to track the number of employees carrying guns on campus. It would also help with training. “We need to insure that they get the best training they can get.”

Lemoore Elementary School District Superintendent Rick Rayburn, just two months short of retiring, says that while the district’s school board hasn’t discussed the issue yet, he would recommend against the policy. “I’m really uncomfortable about having people on campus with guns,” he said. “The more guns that are in a location, a campus, the more chance that an accident will occur.”

Eventually the school board will need to study or update its policy regarding guns on campus, but they haven’t yet.

If in fact they do move toward a policy allowing staff members to carry guns, there are many questions that still need to be answered. “Are we going to allow firearms on campus? Do we issue a permit or not? There is a lot of work to do before that happens,” said Rayburn. “Are prospective gun holders going to have to have training and complete psychological testing. Are they stable enough?

“It’s very disheartening to me that we’re at a point that we’re (considering) arming Lemoore Elementary School teachers,” he said.

Lemoore High School Senior Class President Bailey Kerby, 18, who is planning on attending UCLA in the fall, said students at the high school aren’t really talking about guns on campus, and they don’t seem to fear for their safety, instead praising what they say already is a very safe campus.

Kerby said that recently her Spanish class briefly discussed the Kingsburg gun policy. “We did have a discussion in my Spanish class,” said Kerby, “and we kind of talked about what happened in Kingsburg, and I think most of the kids didn’t really think it (guns on campus) was necessary.”

Kerby suggested that allowing staff members to carry concealed weapons on campus could depend on the training of the teacher or staff member. “For me it would depend on the teacher,” she said. She didn’t want to give the authority to carry a weapon to a teacher, who in turn might inadvertently allow a student access to a gun.

She also said that Lemoore High School has made the campus safe by hiring a campus police officer, building fences around the campus and having campus supervisors roam the halls.