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Phoenix-Talent School Board studies concealed carry ban By Kevin Opsahl Updated: Sep 09, 2022 03:59 PM A A District is conducting a review of all safety policies Michael Campbell, the Phoenix-Talent School Board chair The chairman of the Phoenix-Talent School Board said Thursday a policy that would prohibit concealed firearms on district property and in schools should be considered by the board, though he declined to say whether he would vote in favor of the “hot topic” measure until completing further research. “I think we always need to be examining any policy related to weapons and safety,” said Michael Campbell, the Phoenix-Talent School Board chair. “At some point, we definitely are going to have to look at it. We try to be thoughtful and methodical and understand how policies that we make will impact students and the community.” Campbell was referring, in part, to a policy passed by school boards in Portland, West Linn and Ashland earlier this year. The policies stem from SB 554, which passed the Legislature last year, giving schools the authority to ban concealed weapons on school property. If the Phoenix-Talent School Board moves forward with the policy, public feedback would help the board make a decision on the matter, Campbell said. “I think it would be valuable to have a community discussion,” Campbell said. “Safety is an important topic we should be talking about as a community.” Campbell noted May’s mass shooting in Uvalde, Texas, which killed 19 students and two teachers, weighs heavily on the minds of the members of the Phoenix-Talent School Board, which is in the midst of an “exhaustive policy rewrite” of all school board policies. “Of course, after Uvalde, and after every school shooting, our consciousness about weapons is certainly heightened,” Campbell said. The effort to review safety policies started before the Robb Elementary School massacre, the Phoenix-Talent board chairman noted. Board members are reviewing their policies in alphabetical order of the code each policy is assigned. “Weapons in the schools” is coded “JFCJ,” but it’s not the only weapons policy on the books, according to Campbell. The board pulled JFCJ off its Sept. 1 agenda so Campbell could get clarity from officials of the Oregon School Board Association on how closely related the policy is to the one passed by Ashland and other districts. While JFCJ defines a dangerous or deadly weapon to include a concealed firearm, the policy primarily covers students, stating they could be expelled for at least a year if an investigation finds them guilty of bringing such a weapon to school. But it does not address members of the public who are concealed carry license holders, or their conduct on district property. However, another school safety policy says no one is allowed to “bring, possess or use a weapon (including school district parking lots) as prohibited by state and federal law.” “Obviously, the importance of weapons and being clear about our policies on that is very important,” Campbell said. “There’s still so much I feel like I need to learn,” Campbell said, when asked whether concealed carry permit holders should be allowed to carry guns in schools. “This is something that people are very passionate about, and there are strong feelings on both sides. I understand when people say, ‘Weapons just don’t belong in schools, period.’ I also understand that people feel very strongly about their rights and things like that.” He hopes to “dive into” the issue of concealed carry in schools, speaking to people such as school resource officers, who are exempt from school weapons policies. Campbell said he hopes to find people who can tell him whether school concealed carry policies could impact future events. “‘You don’t want a deadly weapon in school’ is an easy opinion to have,” Campbell said. “I really don’t have a strong opinion on it until I can gather more information.” Reach reporter Kevin Opsahl at 541-776-4476 or [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @KevJourno.