Who benefits from guns in schools? Nebraska's rural students, officials say (2024)

The idea of putting firearms in schools to prevent shootings has been long debated.

While it does come with its risks, for some rural districts it may be the only hope for protecting students in an emergency.

LB 1329, passed in the 2024 legislative session, changes the provisions relating to handguns and firearms in schools of certain classifications. This allows small school districts the option of having an armed staff member.

The Nebraska State Board of Education in collaboration with the Nebraska State Patrol developed a draft policy for authorizing security personnel — a designated armed staff or faculty member — for small rural Nebraska schools to use as guidance.

On Oct. 4 the draft was approved, but it begs the question: Who is being protected by guns in schools?

Some may believe it unnecessary; that these districts have security resource officers on school grounds, or that area law enforcement can quickly respond to a threat. But while urban and eastern Nebraska schools have these advantages, rural students could be left vulnerable, officials say.

When Sen. Tom Brewer of Gordon initially introduced LB 1339 to the Legislature’s Education Committee in February, he said several schools in the western parts of the state cannot afford SROs. Additionally, for some rural districts, the nearest law enforcement officers can be up to 40 minutes away.

A version of LB 1339 was advanced to Gov. Jim Pillen in April as part of LB 1329 — a package of education measures that passed 40-0.

The bill leaves it up to the school boards to decide if they want to utilize an armed staff member, but not until Jan. 1.

An amendment to the bill also restricted the ability to have an armed staff member to districts with a population under 5,000 for class I and II schools.

Currently all Nebraska public schools are classified as Class III or higher, but LB 1329 will allow districts to be classified at a lower level after Jan. 1.

The cut off at 5,000 was decided because schools above that threshold are more likely to have a security resource officer, Brewer said.

“They have the opportunity to have armed protection for their kids,” he said.

Glenvil Sen. Dave Murman said rural districts need this because urban districts have more availability of law enforcement and more funds.

“The smaller districts can’t afford (SROs),” Murman said, “And it’s often not available even if they could afford it.”

According to a 2023 study by Education Week the average cost of an SRO in the U.S. is about $47 per-student. Collectively, the study showed that America’s schools spend more than $2.5 billion each year on SROs.

Across 28 counties in western and west central Nebraska, 50 out of 58 schools fall under that 5,000 limit.

Of those 50 schools, 17 — or 34% — are more than 15 minutes away from the nearest police or sheriff’s office. A total of 3,695 students.

Brewer said it was in a conversation with his brother, Sheridan County Sheriff Jeff Brewer, that he realized the “shocking” lack of law enforcement in these areas and the potential consequences.

“Obviously the biggest example is Cherry County, 6,006 square miles and they only have nine law enforcement officials in that entire area,” Brewer said. “Four of them are (Valentine) city cops. So that means you got the sheriff and four deputies covering the whole rest of the county.”

Cherry County’s Cody-Kilgore Public Schools is one of the furthest at 40 minutes and roughly 38 miles from law enforcement.

Brewer recounted a car accident north of Rushville in Sheridan County where there are only two law enforcement officials, and one was already on call in another part of the county.

“We had one officer to work a fatality accident himself, there was no other option, there was physically no one there,” he said. “It really wouldn’t be any different in a school shooting situation.”

And in a school shooting, Brewer said every second counts.

“If they have no option except to wait on law enforcement, it could be a very ugly situation.”

Some counties have interlocal agreements for police services that put first responders in the more rural parts of a county — such as the agreement Lincoln County has that puts deputies in the villages of Sutherland, Maxwell, Hershey, Brady and Wallace.

But, Lincoln County Sheriff Jerome Kramer said it could still take “several minutes to arrive with one deputy” and backup could be “15 to 30 minutes away.”

“To have a deputy in the area all day can not happen and will never happen. We have a lot of demands on our time other than schools,” Kramer said in an email to The Telegraph. “The only way to guarantee the safety of our children is to meet the aggression head on with weapons inside the school.”

North Platte Sen. Mike Jacobson said that he supports the idea of armed security personnel for “soft targets” such as schools, but training “also needs to be part of this program,” which is where the Nebraska State Board of Education’s draft policy comes in.

The draft policy lays out the suggested requirements and procedures for each school in the state to have as a starting point for their own policy if they choose to allow an ASP. They do not have to adhere to the guidelines, but the board does recommend it.

In this policy, to be an authorized ASP must:

Be employed or contracted to provide school security or school event control services.

Pass a comprehensive background check, including a criminal history check and a mental health evaluation.

Possess a valid Nebraska concealed carry permit.

Submit a letter of interest to the superintendent and the president of the school board.

Submit three letters of recommendation, of which the superintendent is responsible for verifying.

Complete a mental health screening and consultation with a psychologist.

Attend a minimum of 20 hours of training.

Notify local law enforcement agencies of their position at the school.

The policy also outlines that the firearm must be stored in a biometric safe away from “direct line of sight,” that only the ASP will be able to access. It also stipulates that the ASP must be “physically present” on school grounds while their firearm is on the grounds.

Additionally, the firearm can not be “visibly upholstered” except during an active threat.

“The ASP must know and understand the appropriate use of force,” the policy reads. “The ASP can take actions necessary to prevent or abate an active threat and temporarily detain an individual when the ASP has reasonable cause to believe the individual has committed or is about to commit a forcible act of violence that could cause serious bodily injury or death.”

With 33 states currently allowing armed staff in schools, and Nebraska soon joining, rural law enforcement and elected officials hope this offers their most vulnerable some protection.

“I can’t imagine why anyone feels that protecting our children with armed teachers is a bad thing,” sheriff Kramer said. “We all should be interested in saving lives …. Our schools will continue to be a target because school shooters are cowards and they know they can easily attack schools because no one there will resist them.”