The Hanover School District 28 board in El Paso County voted 3-2 in favor of the policy.
Those who volunteer to carry a concealed handgun on the campus of Prairie Heights Elementary School or Hanover Jr./Sr. High School must apply to do so and will first receive training.
“There is a desire for a perceived increase in security within the building,” board president Mark McPherson, who voted against the measure, told KRDO.
The district joins a growing yet still relatively small number of districts across the country that have adopted similar policies, sparked by fear of school shootings, such as those that occurred at Sandy Hook in Connecticut and Columbine High School in Colorado on April 20, 1999.
Some in rural districts, like Hanover, are particularly concerned by the distances police must travel to reach them in the event of trouble. According to KOAA TV, the average response time by the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office is 35 minutes.
Yet the community was split down the middle on the wisdom arming faculty and staff. A school board survey of students, staff, parents and members of the community found 126 in favor of arming and 123 opposed. The greatest opposition came from students, who voted 62 to 55 against.
