(Des Moines, IA) School staff in Iowa can now technically have guns on school grounds after Governor Kim Reynolds enacted a new law last week. The law permits trained school staff to carry firearms on campus, immediately taking effect after the governor’s signature. Now, school districts across the state are deliberating on how to implement the legislation. The districts include Ankeny, Dallas Center-Grimes, Des Moines, Johnston, Southeast Polk, Urbandale, Waukee, and West Des Moines.
Meanwhile, Des Moines Public Schools, Iowa’s largest school district, will not allow its staff to carry guns on campus despite the new state law. The school district has opted out of the program, stating they already have sufficient tools and strategies to ensure students and staff’s safety and well-being. The law also mandates large school districts to have at least one school resource officer per high school, but Des Moines Public Schools will also be opting out of this requirement.
