ROCK SPRINGS – Awareness of Sweetwater County School District No. 1’s proposed firearms policy has already brought residents before the board to make their opinions known.
The school board is working on a policy to implement in light of the Wyoming Legislature passing a bill to end gun-free zones within the state. That policy work has already brought residents out to speak about how the policy should be implemented.
Bill Formanek, a middle school business teacher, urged the board to make the process as difficult as possible to carry a concealed firearm onto district property.
“Have any of you had a handgun pointed at you,” he asked the board. “No hands go up.” Well, I have.”
Formanek said it happened while he was in college and said the experience was likely the cause of the first grey hairs he had. He is disappointed in the legislature for passing the law and urged the board to be respectful of the law while creating a stringent policy. Formanek supports the strong gun culture in Wyoming, but also thinks there some places where guns should not be present.
“Guns do not belong in school. Period,” he said.
Rep. Darin McCann, R-Rock Springs, also spoke to the board about its proposed policy, but wants to see the district approve a policy that isn’t restrictive. McCann is a supporter of repealing gun free zones and disagrees with language found in the proposed policy. He said the policy reads “like a fill in the blank template,” questioning if an outside organization had a hand in drafting it. He also believes the district’s definition of volunteer is flawed, saying it lumps people like school chaperones with delivery drivers and overall could result in litigation against the district. He also disagrees with the policy placing the financial burden of being trained to meet policy standards on the employees, saying state funds are available to cover those costs.
“State superintendent Megan Degenfelder has explicitly encouraged districts to utilize this funding,” he said. “Not utilizing this funding unfairly burdens dedicated staff and volunteers and discourages participation.”
A meeting is scheduled to take place June 23 to discuss the policy proposal further.
