FOLSOM, Calif. (KCRA) — A new California law will force the Folsom Cordova Unified School District to end its policy of allowing select employees to store and – if necessary – access guns on campus.
School officials sent out a statement Monday after Gov. Jerry Brown signed AB 424 into law over the weekend. The bill, authored by Sacramento Assemblymember Kevin McCarty, expands the ban of firearms in a school zone to include school employees.
Before, a school district superintendent, or an equivalent school authority, could give select employees permission to carry guns on school campuses.
The Folsom school district’s policy has been in place since 2010.
“This legislation ends our years-long practice of allowing trained, select employees with valid concealed weapons permits to safely store and, if necessary, access a firearm on school grounds. Unlike other districts, Folsom Cordova does not allow teachers to carry firearms,” Superintendent Sarah Koligian said in the statement.
No other school districts in the Sacramento area allows school employees to have or carry guns on campus. The Stockton and Modesto school districts don’t allow guns on campus either.
After introducing the bill in February, McCarty said it’s designed to close loopholes in the Gun-Free School Zone Act.
“It’s a simple bill, it says that schools should be a place of learning, books, and pencils, and teachers, and education — not a place with guns around,” he said.
Koligian said the school district will be working with law enforcement, families and staff to “ensure we are doing everything possible to protect the safety of our students. That will include reviewing our active shooter and emergency planning, and maintaining communication to families and community members about our District emergency procedures.”
The bill exempts school activities, like shooting sports, from the ban. Law enforcement, military personnel and security guards with proper training and permits are also exempt.
The law goes into effect Jan. 1.