Calif. District Implements “Liability Insurance” Requirements for Guns on Campus
The requirements were praised by some district board members and criticized by others.
A school district in California announced strict guidelines to its new policy that allows non-employee concealed carry permit holders to bring guns on its campuses.
The Kern High School District in Bakersfield will require people interested in taking advantage of the campus carry rule to sign up for a $1 million coverage plan for liability insurance and be interviewed by Kern High School District Police Department Chief Joseph Lopeteguy, reports Bakersfield.com.
Applicants will also have to agree to disclose their names if someone files a California Public Records Act request for information.
“The practice of requiring liability insurance is consistent with other non-employees who enter into agreements with KHSD,” district spokesperson Lisa Krch says.
The district’s policy is a response to a unanimous vote by trustees in June that allows non-employees to bring firearms onto the district’s campuses and to any school-sponsored event.
RELATED: Few Take Advantage of Tenn. Campus Carry Law
Some trustees, such as Phillip Peters, criticized the policy. Peters says he’ll work to remove the insurance requirement.
“It’s definitely a big obstacle,” Peters says of the insurance policy. “It does sound like it would be cost-prohibitive and I feel like it goes against the spirit of what we’re trying to do.”
Board members have not yet voted on whether to allow employees with concealed carry permits to bring guns on campus.
The district has its own police department, which stations police officers at each of its 18 campuses full time.
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