cj online- by Celia Llopis-Jepsen
Allowing teachers and other employees to carry guns under a new state law would cost most school districts their insurance.
EMC Insurance Companies, the state’s main insurer of schools, won’t insure districts with armed employees under the new law, which takes effect July 1. Districts already insured by EMC wouldn’t have their policies renewed.
“We understand that school districts have every right to decide which way they want to go,” Bernie Zalaznik, EMC’s resident vice president in Wichita, said Monday. “But we have to make the decision based on what we perceive to be our best financial interest.”
EMC, which Zalaznik estimated insures about 90 percent of Kansas’ 286 school districts, has issued a letter to its agents around the state, explaining that concealed carry would pose too great a risk.
“We are making this underwriting decision simply to protect the financial security of our company,” said the May 15 letter, which can be viewed in full on The Topeka Capital-Journal’s website.
Zalaznik and the Kansas Association of School Boards said some school districts have been showing interest in letting employees carry firearms. Currently, only law enforcement officers can carry guns on school property.
Zalaznik said he had heard directly from or indirectly of about five or six districts seeking information on allowing guns in schools. David Shriver, director of the school board association’s insurance program, said about a dozen districts around the state, mostly small ones, had called and expressed interest.
The school board association is advising all districts against taking advantage of the new law.
Shriver said two other insurers of districts, Wright Specialty Insurance and Continental Western Group, also have decided either not to cover liabilities related to concealed firearms or not to insure such districts at all.
When contacted, Continental Western declined to comment. The Capital-Journal is seeking confirmation from Wright Speciality.
The new law lets school boards designate employees who can bring guns to school. The employees must have valid concealed-carry permits.
No districts in Shawnee County have plans to let employees carry guns.
“We haven’t discussed it,” Tim Hallacy, Silver Lake Unified School District 372 superintendent, said Monday. “I don’t see that as being a discussion point, and personally I’m not very interested.”
Julie Ford, superintendent of Topeka USD 501, said the district would continue to entrust its security to its police department.
“We have 20 police officers on any day that are in Topeka schools,” Ford said.
Shawnee Heights USD 450, Auburn-Washburn USD 437 and Seaman USD 345 also said allowing concealed carry wasn’t on their agendas.
“Our administration and school police department feel very strongly about this,” Seaman communications director Jeff Zehnder said.
Seaman has four police officers patrolling its buildings, Auburn-Washburn has one, Shawnee Heights has two, and Silver Lake shares an officer with Rossville USD 321.
EMC insures two districts in Shawnee County: Shawnee Heights and Silver Lake.
Unless school boards take action to allow staff members to have guns, firearms will continue to be banned on their properties except when carried by police officers.
Still, at least one school district, Wichita USD 259, may pass a policy to make clear that concealed carry isn’t allowed. The potential policy “prohibits everyone from possessing firearms in district buildings, provides for disciplining employees for possession of any firearm and requires signage at all entrances to district buildings as approved by the Kansas attorney general,” a USD 259 school board agenda says.
The board was scheduled to discuss the matter Monday, but hasn’t voted yet.
Celia Llopis-Jepsen can be reached at (785) 295-1285 or celia.llopisjepsen@cjonline.com.
Follow Celia on Twitter @Celia_LJ.
http://cjonline.com/news/2013-06-18/no-school-insurance-teachers-guns
“Allowing teachers and other employees to carry guns under a new state law would cost most school districts their insurance.
EMC Insurance Companies, the state’s main insurer of schools, won’t insure districts with armed employees under the new law, which takes effect July 1. Districts already insured by EMC wouldn’t have their policies renewed.
“We understand that school districts have every right to decide which way they want to go,” Bernie Zalaznik, EMC’s resident vice president in Wichita, said Monday. “But we have to make the decision based on what we perceive to be our best financial interest.””
Bahaha!! Here they go again. MANIPULATIVE COMPROMISE! You can have your guns, but we won’t be able to insure you. We will allow you to have something, but that means we must take something of yours away.
Boy, I saw this one coming. So remember how they wanted to try and force gun insurance on people as one of their gun legislations a few months ago? Well this is how they are going to do it, people. Be on the lookout.
Then the school will be happy, the gun control activists will be happy and the foreign government in office will be happy and the cartels and gang bangers will be happy because We the people will be disarmed. What a wonderful world. NOT!
Ok, maybe they are not forcing gun insurance here, but they will definitely be moving into that direction eventually, once the people realize that they can’t have insurance. Then, after lobbying to pass a bill through Congress that will make an amendment in order for people to have guns as long as they have gun insurance, the companies will just raise their premiums to high levels and if you don’t have gun insurance, you will be either fined or arrested.
Creating a problem and then solving your own problem by putting it onto the taxpayers (who never had a problem or never needed their services in the first place), while at no expense to the companies themselves.
Manipulative Compromise!
Ain’t Fascism great?
The ammo pinch is just not working out as quickly as they anticipated it seems. heh
Kansas legislature could take care of the insurance racket’s (read bolsheviks’) refusal to insure school districts that allow teachers to be armed by simply passing a state law that requires insurance carriers to cover schools regardless of whether or not a particular district allows teachers to be armed on campus, or the insurance carrier can get the hell out of the state. This is an entirely reasonable, lawful and workable option.
The other option would be for the state to use some of its hidden CAFR funds as a sort of extended self insurance program to cover public schools under that special state fund. Either way, the bolshevik insurance rackateers would have the choice to knuckle under and start behaving or get the F out.
Of course, Kansans would have to keep their elected state legislators under their thumbs and keep a close watch on campaign “contributions,” the current euphemism for unlawful bribes.
I see a different approach. Now all insurance companies will demand no policy if you are a gun owner. I am sure the feds will give a few breaks to the insurance company if they do this.
No Auto, Home , Life insurance if you are a gin owner.
Just like above, you can have your gun, but no insurance.
sounds like Obammie and the DOJ