Francis Howell board authorizes ability to designate a School Protection Officer under Missouri law

The Francis Howell R-III Board of Education on June 5 voted to allow the district to use Missouri’s School Protection Officer designation under Missouri Revised Statutes §160.665, clearing the way for the district to bring a separate vote later to designate any specific individual.

The action followed a special public hearing required by state law and a period of public comment. Deputy Superintendent Mark Delaney told the board the district is not proposing to arm teachers broadly but is seeking authority to name a singular SPO to fit a newly created director of safety and security role. Delaney said SPOs must hold a valid concealed-carry endorsement or permit, complete the additional state training, keep any firearm or self-defense device within personal control while on district property, and be registered with the Missouri Department of Public Safety.

At the hearing, district employees and teachers voiced concerns about bringing additional firearms or defensive devices into school buildings. A school counselor described incidents in which students in crisis tried to grab weapons from a school resource officer during responses to behavioral emergencies and urged the board to confirm how weapons would be secured and how the SPO would be used in elementary settings. A veteran elementary teacher and the local FAD president also urged caution, stressing staffing shortfalls and urging policy language that ties any armed designation to the duties of a specific position rather than to individuals.

Board members discussed narrowing the policy language to limit the SPO designation to a single position — the director of safety and security — and to update the job description and district policy (policy 1432 referenced during debate) with clear limits on when and how the SPO would interact with students. Deputy Superintendent Delaney and other administrators confirmed that, under state statute and district practice, any future person seeking SPO designation must be submitted separately to the board for approval and must meet the training and registration requirements laid out in statute.

After concluding the hearing by motion, Director Pushkar moved and Director Ponder seconded a motion to authorize the district to allow use of the SPO designation under Missouri statute 160.665, with any designation of a specific individual to be made by separate board votes. The motion carried.

Next steps: If the board later votes to designate a specific person, that individual would need to demonstrate the required training and concealed-carry endorsement and be registered with the Missouri Department of Public Safety; the board must approve that designation in a separate vote.