Columbus Municipal School District not changing its policy on guns for school staff

COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – The current policy of the Columbus Municipal School District does not allow guns on school property and the superintendent said Tuesday that is not about to change.

“One thing we’ve learned from the shooting in Texas is that more people having guns and (more) trained people with guns didn’t save those kids’ lives,” says Dr. Cherie Labat.

It’s one of several reasons why Dr. Labat says that the CMSD will not be changing its policy after the Mississippi Board of Education voted to update its own.

“I don’t feel like the burden of keeping our schools safe should rest upon the teachers,” Dr. Labat says.

Thursday, the Mississippi Board of Education voted to update a 1990 policy that stated that only members of law enforcement could carry guns on public school grounds. Now, it is up to the individual school districts to decide whether or not to allow employees who have undergone proper training for an enhanced carry permit to bring a weapon with them.

It is currently a temporary policy that will undergo a 25-day public comment period.

“There are so many legal repercussions to opening this door for teachers to have firearms,” Dr. Labat says. “That is something that they can’t begin to decide in 25 days. Or (over) the next year.”

Dr. Labat says she has so many questions about where the burden of responsibility would fall.

“Will the teacher have the liability if a gun goes off accidentally?” she asks. “Or in the case of a teacher having to use a gun, will the teacher have to have insurance to protect their personal liability? Will the district assume that liability in the case that a teacher uses a firearm?”

She is urging her colleagues across the state to find a better way.

“We owe it to our children for them to live in a safe environment,” Dr. Labat says.

The Board of Education will meet in September to discuss the long-term future of the policy.