Mikel Livingston

mlivingston@jconline.com

The North White School Corp. board this week approved a policy that will allow properly trained board members and administrators to carry firearms on school property.

The policy, approved unanimously by the seven-member board, becomes effective July 1. It will allow those eligible to carry a concealed semi-automatic firearm while school is in session and at school events.

"We heard from both sides on the argument," said Shannon Mattix, board president for the Monon-based district in White County. "Basically, as a board, we stuck with facts and statistics over emotion. It's an emotional issue."

The policy, possibly the first of its kind in Indiana, sets out specific requirements for those hoping to carry firearms.

That includes the attendance of two annual training exercises, a six-hour session on firearm basics and a 40-hour course on crisis management and defensive tactics.

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The firearm must be a concealed semi-automatic held in a level two or level three holster. The gun must be carried and cannot be stored inside buildings.

Potential participants also would be required to participate in a psychological evaluation at least annually.

This week's vote ends a four-month discussion that included several public hearings. During the process, board members consulted legislators, lawyers and law enforcement officials, and researched past school shooting events and related violent crime statistics.

Mattix said the board considered adding a school resource officer position but decided against it due to the added cost.

Mattix said the policy's training requirements helped quell some public concern.

The driving factor behind the policy, she said, is student safety.

"First of all, we hope nothing ever happens like that," Mattix said, referring to the idea of a school shooting. "It's just an additional layer (of protection) in addition to things we're already doing at the school corporation."