WASHOE COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT

BOARD RESOLUTION 18 – 003

A Resolution of the Board of Trustees of the Washoe County School District reaffirming their
commitment to a safe and secure learning and working environment, and declaring their opposition
to proposals to arm educators and education support professionals in our public schools

WHEREAS, gun violence presents a clear and present danger to students, staff, families, and community
of Washoe County, Nevada;

WHEREAS, the arming of educators and education support professionals is fundamentally incompatible
with the Washoe County School District’s collective mission of educating and nurturing all students in a
safe and secure environment;

WHEREAS, gun violence and the threat of gun violence is incompatible with the Washoe County School
District’s legal and moral obligation to provide a safe and secure learning and working environment for
the District’s students and employees;

WHEREAS, federal law 18 U.S.C. § 922(q)(2)(A) and Nevada Revised Statute 202.265 already prohibit
weapons on school campuses, except in the case of law enforcement personnel and with other limited
exceptions;

WHEREAS, the Washoe County School District is committed to ensuring the safety of all students and
staff, as detailed in Board Policy 5700, Safe and Respectful Learning, and Goal 5 of Envision WCSD 2020;

WHEREAS, teachers are not trained law enforcement officers, and should not be asked or incentivized to
keep weapons accessible in their classrooms;

WHEREAS, the Washoe County School District Police Department, National Association of School
Resource Officers, and other law enforcement professionals fully trained and certified in the use of fire
arms do not support the arming of educators or educational support professionals;

WHEREAS, there is no evidence that arming educators and education professionals increases school
safety;

WHEREAS, an increase in firearms on campus creates a greater risk to students and staff by the
possibility of accidental or intentional discharge of a firearm, or the loss or theft of a firearm;

WHEREAS, schools across the country need considerable additional resources to plan for the possibility
of such acts of violence, coordinate with law enforcement, and secure their buildings from intruders;

WHEREAS, federal agencies, including the Departments of Education, Justice, and Homeland Security,
and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, in a careful and comprehensive advisory on school emergency
preparedness, emphasized that the possibility of school gun violence did not in any way justify the
arming of school personnel other than trained law enforcement officers;
WHEREAS, those law enforcement officers entrusted with securing the safety of the Nation’s schools
have publicly and emphatically opposed the arming of public school educators and education support
professionals because of the inherent and unavoidable risks to students, educators, school staff, and law
enforcement personnel;

WHEREAS, preeminent national educator associations—including the American School Counselor

Association, the National Association of Elementary School Principals, the National Association of School
Psychologists, the National Association of School Resource Officers, the National Association of
Secondary School Principals, and the School Social Work Association of America—have gone on record
to “caution against seemingly quick and potentially harmful solutions, such as arming school personnel”
which would “cause more harm than good”;

WHEREAS, the arming of educators and education support professionals would necessarily come at
considerable financial cost to the District, including but certainly not limited to increased insurance
costs, thereby reducing the resources available for the District’s primary function of educating our
students;

WHEREAS, many schools lack the mental health counselors, psychologists, and social workers they need
to identify and work with students showing warning signs of depression and violence; and

WHEREAS, the Board of Trustees agrees fully with the principles of the National School Board
Association that safe and supportive climates and learning environments that support opportunities to
learn that are free of abuse, violence, bullying, weapons, and harmful substances are critical to the
success of all students.

NOW, BE IT RESOLVED that the Washoe County School District Board of Trustees is opposed to the
arming of educators and education support professionals to protect schools and children; and

NOW, BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Washoe County School District Board of Trustees calls on the
Congress of the United States and the Governor and Legislature of the State of Nevada:

• To appropriate adequate new funds to allow school districts across Nevada and the nation to
plan and coordinate school security efforts with law enforcement officials and make other
building alterations that may be necessary to protect students, staff, and visitors;
• To appropriate adequate new funds to allow school districts across Nevada and the nation to
increase the numbers of school police officers, counselors, psychologists, and social workers in
our schools, as well as for programming in equity and diversity, social and emotional learning,
and anti-bullying efforts;
• To appropriate adequate new funds for law enforcement agencies to add programs to educate
students and their families on the dangers of firearms and other safety programs; and

NOW, BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Washoe County School District Board of Trustees directs the
Superintendent to send copies of this resolution to our representatives in Washington, D.C. and Carson
City, including Senator Dean Heller, Senator Catherine Cortez-Masto, Congressman Mark Amodei, and
Governor Brian Sandoval.
APPROVED, this 12th day of June, 2018.

____________________________ ____________________________

Katy Simon Holland John Mayer

President Clerk
Washoe County School District Washoe County School District
Board of Trustees Board of Trustees