FILE:  GAMG

Cf:  EBC

DANGEROUS WEAPONS

Quality education begins with a safe school environment.  The presence of firearms or any dangerous weapon on school campuses, at school-sponsored events, or on school buses presents unnecessary opportunities for students, employees, parents, and others to be seriously injured.

Employees of the Orleans Parish School Board shall be prohibited from bringing firearms, dangerous weapons, explosive or incendiary materials, including, but not limited to brass knuckles, illegal knives, and other dangerous instruments, or any instrument intended or likely to produce great bodily harm, or any sort of instrument or object which may be used in any way as a weapon, onto school campuses, to school-sponsored events or on school buses.  No personal firearms shall be allowed, loaded or unloaded, except as otherwise provided herein.  Employees who violate this prohibition shall be considered as willfully neglecting their duties and shall be subject to disciplinary action against them, up to and including termination.  Others who violate this policy shall be subject to expulsion from School Board property.  Any employee aware of another employee possessing a firearm or other dangerous weapon shall report it to a supervisor or administrator, who in turn shall notify the School Board’s Security Department.

This policy is not intended to prevent inoperable or mock firearms from being brought to school for education purposes, such as ROTC training, props for drama presentations, gun safety classes, etc.  The provisions of this policy shall also not apply to law enforcement officers or school resource officers or security personnel on school property, as well as other exceptions permitted by state law, such as any constitutionally protected activity such as a firearm contained entirely within a vehicle.  For purposes of this policy, the term firearm is defined to include both instruments which propel shot by the action of gunpowder (i.e., rifles, shotguns) and instruments which propel shot by the action of air (i.e., pellet guns, BB guns).

FIREARM FREE ZONES

It is unlawful for an employee to intentionally possess a firearm on school property or within 1000 feet of school property, with limited statutory exceptions, or while on a school bus.  The area inclusive of any school campus and within 1,000 feet of any such school campus, and within a school bus, wherein the possession of firearms is prohibited, except as specifically set forth in La. Rev. Stat. Ann. §§14:95.2(C) and 14:95.6(B) shall be designated firearm-free zones.  The School Board, in cooperation with local governmental agencies, and the Louisiana Department of Education, shall designate and mark firearm-free zones which surround all schools and school property.

Revised:  February 16, 2017

Ref:    La. Rev. Stat. Ann. §§14:2, 14:95, 14:95.2, 14:95.6, 17:81, 32:292.1

Board minutes, 2-16-17

Orleans Parish School Board