Murray Board approves state-mandated firearm-safety curriculum with parental opt-out

The Murray School District board voted to adopt a firearm-safety curriculum designed to meet requirements of House Bill 104, passed by the Utah Legislature in 2025, and to deliver age-appropriate instruction across grade levels, with a parental opt-out available. The district’s directors described the curriculum, adapted from the attorney general’s “Let’s Stay Safe” materials, as a brief lesson to be delivered in health classes at the secondary level and in adjusted PowerPoint/video formats for elementary grades. Director comments said instruction would typically last 15–20 minutes and be scheduled consistently across schools but could be shifted if local events made the timing inappropriate. Board members were told the statute requires districts to provide firearm-safety instruction. Director Tayo said the video used for third through 12th grades was not developmentally suitable for first graders, so the district created an alternate, age-appropriate PowerPoint and will leave the choice for third grade to building administrators, who will notify parents which version will be used. Superintendent Covington and Director Tayo emphasized that parents will be given an opt-out form. During discussion, board members asked how the instruction would be scheduled and whether the district could avoid presenting the material on days when the community is dealing with recent traumatic events; administrators said they would allow flexibility for timing and would designate a month for continuity while permitting pivots when needed. A motion to approve the curriculum carried after a voice vote. The record shows the board approved the curriculum and will implement it across the district consistent with HB 104 and the district’s parental-notification/opt-out procedures.