ANN ARBOR, MI -- Following reports of people carrying guns with them when they voted in schools for the primary election, Ann Arbor Public Schools is still exploring the legality of enforcing its no-weapon policy during elections.

"We still have matters to work through with the city and legal folks," said board of education trustee Simone Lightfoot. "We're so limited in what we can do at this stage."

Caught between the school's no-weapon policy and the need to protect voters' rights to cast their ballots free of interference or intimidation, the board of education felt its best option was to cancel classes during the May 3 special election to avoid putting students and staff in proximity of people who chose to carry guns with them when they vote.

Other security concerns were a factor as well.

"The primary discussion was our promise to keep students safe in the educational environment," said board vice president Christine Stead, referencing the board's March 30 study session where trustees voiced their begrudging support for the decision to close school for the May 3 election. "We had to really think carefully about our ability to do that when we're also polling sites in 22 of our buildings for voters. Voters have a right to vote, and we can't get in the way of that."

The board was not able to guarantee students' safety with the confidence they would like because of open carry advocates, Stead said, so they felt they had to cancel classes. Many board members expressed their regret that students will not be able to observe the democratic process like they have in the past.

State law says people with concealed pistol licenses may carry their firearms in gun-free zones, but they cannot conceal them.

Joshua Wade was one of the people who openly carried a gun with him when he voted in an Ann Arbor school for the primary election. He said he knew of three other people who also carried guns with them to vote in school.

School administration could not confirm that, citing a "wide variety of security concerns that were voiced by community members and staff, not any one issue that led to the decision to close schools on election day," district communications specialist Andrew Cluley said in an email.

Wade said he was not treated any differently by school staff while wearing his pistol and waiting in line for about 30 minutes to vote that day.

"It's a place I'm going to be, and I carry everywhere I go," Wade said of his decision to openly carry his gun with him when he voted in the primary. "It was a normal election, as it should be. ... It's a legal exercise of your rights. You shouldn't have to give up your right to defend yourself to exercise your right to vote."

Guns in school is a complicated issue for Ann Arbor Public Schools. The district is involved in an ongoing lawsuit filed by the Michigan Gun Owners nonprofit after school staff called police when Wade carried a gun to a choir concert at Pioneer High School in March 2015.

Wade is not involved in that lawsuit, which was dismissed by Washtenaw County Circuit Court Judge Carol Kuhnke, who said schools have the right to make firearms policies. Michigan Gun Owners appealed the decision, and the case is now pending with the Michigan Court of Appeals.

"I'm surprised it took a lawful concealed pistol license holder legally carrying openly for the board of directors to realize maybe it's not a good idea to let hundreds of complete strangers through dozens of schools with students there on Election Day," Wade said. "It's not like there's a new security risk."

A recommendation Superintendent Jeanice Swift brought to the board on March 30 says administrators plan to discuss with city officials whether AAPS schools will continue to be used as polling locations for future elections. The district typically schedules a professional development day where only teachers report to school during November elections, so the only time students would potentially be in school with voters would be for spring elections.

"We're still considering all options in terms of what we're going to do in terms of voting going forward," Cluley said.

City clerk Jacqueline Beaudry said she has not had any discussion with school administrators at this point about relocating the polls.

"We have an agreement with Ann Arbor Public Schools to use the buildings for an election. There hasn't been any conversation that that would change," Beaudry said.

The city clerk determines polling locations, and the county clerk coordinates and administers elections in Washtenaw County.

Lawrence Kestenbaum, Washtenaw County clerk, says taking polling locations out of schools would be "devastating to the election process." There are not many other public buildings where polls could be located, he said, and schools are easily accessible for voters.

"The idea of changing polling places based on the fear that someone somewhere might have a gun seems ridiculous to me," Kestenbaum said. "That's a giant over-reaction to a tiny problem."

Kestenbaum believes AAPS could enforce its no-weapon policy during elections like it would any other day. He gave the example of court rooms used as polling locations that still prohibit weapons, adding that Washtenaw County does not have any precincts vote in courtrooms.

"I would certainly support that if a school has a no-gun policy, it should apply at all times," he said.