Fremont County School District #2 officials agreed by consensus to publish a notice of intent to adopt rules implementing Wyoming's recent concealed-carry legislation for the 2025-26 school year and to schedule a public hearing and a subsequent board vote.

The draft rules, presented at a district work session, would allow authorized employees and volunteers to carry concealed firearms on district property only if they hold a Wyoming concealed-carry permit, complete an initial set of trainings and annual recurrent training, and keep the firearm on their person in their direct control at all times. The board directed staff to publish the notice and collect public feedback ahead of a July 22 public hearing and a July 29 board meeting to consider adoption.

Why it matters: The proposed rule would change the district's approach to firearms on campus by implementing a state-authorized concealed-carry framework for staff and volunteers while maintaining explicit exclusions for certain spaces and limiting the district's liability to activities on school property.

Steve, a district staff member who presented the draft, said the notice "defines the rules associated with the concealed carry policy" and that it applies to "not only staff, but for volunteers who wish to conceal carry a firearm." He told the board the notice will be published in the local newspaper and posted to the district website and that the public comment period will run from publication through July 24. "From the date of publication... it establishes the July 29 at 06:00" for the adoption consideration, he said.

Key provisions described in the draft and in the discussion:

- Wyoming permit required: The draft requires a Wyoming concealed-carry permit; out-of-state permits do not satisfy the requirement.

- Training and instructors: The policy would set required hours for initial and recurrent (annual) training and specify qualifications for instructors and trainers. Steve said the district plans to vet trainer proposals through a committee that would include law enforcement.

- On-person requirement and exclusions: The draft states approved carriers must keep firearms on their person at all times while on district property; biometric boxes or lockboxes on campus were removed from the draft. The draft lists exclusions where firearms would not be allowed (CTE building, kitchen, science classrooms, the K-12 boiler room) and staff noted they may add the concession stand and must provide rationale for each exclusion.

- Costs and liability: The draft treats costs as split in the example language: permit, firearm and holster remain the individual's responsibility; the district would pay instructor fees and ammunition. The superintendent and staff explained that district liability coverage applies only when an authorized carrier is on district property and acting on school business; off-campus incidents would be the individual's responsibility.

- Confidentiality and revocation: The draft says the identities of authorized carriers would be limited to the superintendent, the board, and law enforcement agencies with jurisdiction and would not be subject to public records requests. The board would have the authority to revoke carrying privileges; the draft notes there would be no appeal process for revocation.

- Tribal and bus-related questions: Presenters flagged uncertainty about how the law interacts with tribal schools subject to federal law (Ethete, Arapahoe, Fort Washakie were mentioned) and clarified that district vehicles on campus are considered school property for coverage purposes but coverage ends when staff step off the vehicle and leave district property.

Board direction and next steps: The board approved publishing the notice by consensus and asked staff to post the revised draft online once a few textual clarifications are made. The district will accept written comments by email (Caleb will collect them), in-person at the board office, and at the scheduled public hearing on July 22 at 06:00 in the Ox Gym; the public comment window will close July 24 at 15:00 so the board can review submissions before the July 29 adoption consideration at 06:00.

The district presentation emphasized the limited scope for local changes because the state law sets minimum standards. Steve told the board, "the law is written in such a way that there's not a lot of changes you're gonna be able to make," while also noting there are narrow places the board could "tweak" the draft after stakeholder feedback.

Votes at a glance: The notice to publish the draft rules was approved by consensus; no roll-call vote was recorded.

Ending: Staff said, if approved on July 29, implementation for individual approved staff is likely to occur around the holidays, depending on the pace of training and approvals. The board did not take further action at the work session beyond authorizing publication and setting the public-review timeline.