Okla. School District Displays Signs to Deter Shooters

The signs inform visitors that some staff members at the school can legally carry guns.
Published: February 10, 2016

An Oklahoma school district has begun putting signs on its campus warning visitors that some school staff members have concealed weapons.

Okay Public Schools, which has one K-8 school and a high school, has signs outside its school buildings warning that district staff members “can be legally armed and may use whatever force is necessary to protect our students.”

District Superintendent Charles McMahan says he hopes the signs make people who pose a threat think twice before entering school grounds, according to The Washington Post.

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The signs are an extension of a policy school officials decided on last year that allows certain school staff members that have received special training to carry guns on campus. The school policy was put into place after a law was passed in 2015 permitting the arming of teachers.

Okay, which has only 420 students, joins a number of other schools across the country that have allowed certain staff members to bring guns on campus. The majority of such schools are in rural areas and out of the immediate reach of first responders.

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