Iowa committee approves rules on gun permits for school staff

(The Center Square) - The Iowa Administrative Rules Committee approved rules on Tuesday for a law that would allow school staff to carry firearms on campus.

House File 2586, signed into law by Gov. Kim Reynolds, requires school personnel who want to carry firearms into the schools to obtain a permit that requires annual live scenario quarterly live firearms training approved by the Iowa Department of Public Safety.

Tawny Kruse, strategic communications bureau chief for DPS, told The Center Square on Tuesday that the department was awaiting the approval of the rules before beginning the permitting process.

"One additional full-time employee was hired on at DPS to help fulfill that requirement, and to develop processes for approving training curriculum and tracking permit holder training," Kruse said.

The decision on whether to allow school personnel to carry firearms on campuses is up to the individual districts.

"We support the local decision making of our boards if they choose to go down this path," said Emily Piper of the Iowa School Boards Association. "We just want the superintendent in the meantime to be as informed as possible as to who has a permit and who might possibly forget that they can't carry on school grounds."

School districts with 8,000 or more students would also be required to have a school resource officer or private school security officer.

Some school districts do not allow staff to carry guns on campus.

"Our district does not allow teachers or other school personnel to carry firearms," said Leslie Heying, director of communications with the Sioux City Community School District. "We have a longstanding partnership with the Sioux City Police Department, and their officers serve as SROs in our buildings. There are no plans to add SROs to our buildings beyond those that are already in place for the upcoming school year."

Lawmakers passed the bill just weeks after a shooting at Perry High School on Jan. 4. An 11-year-old sixth grader from Perry Middle School was killed, and five others were injured on the day of the shooting. Perry High School Principal Dan Marburger, who police said shielded others from gunfire, died on Jan. 14.

The alleged shooter, identified as 17-year-old Dylan Butler, who police said was a student at Perry High School, died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.