Sanibel Lighthouse

Guns at Lee County Schools

Update on Below:  Congratulations to all who reached out to School Board members to rescind their July 7-0 vote to alter the present policy of zero tolerance of guns on school campuses.  Their vote would have permitted guns in locked cars on school grounds.  Smash and Grab  gun events, all too frequent in Lee County, would be one of many ways our students and teachers would become vulnerable to criminal exposure.  Your emails, phone calls and fervent pleas at School Board meetings completely paid off.  It is our understanding the policy change vote of 7-0 is withdrawn and dead.  The Las Vegas event only reinforces future vigilance.  We know our community and School Board Board members will be with us.  With heartfelt thanks.

The Lee County School Board has a 7-0 vote on the table with open public discussion for a POLICY CHANGE from zero tolerance of guns on school property to the protection of rights of gun owners arriving in cars on school business. At the August School Board Meeting Board Member, Steven Teuber persuaded the entire Board that gun owners with school business should be protected from the current felony law of Zero Tolerance by a change in School Board policy which allows them to leave encased, locked and loaded guns in their locked cars. Why change? 1. The current Zero Tolerance policy for our schools has provided total safety for our students and teachers. 2. School Board members were not elected to protect gun owners by compromising school security. 3. The state of Florida has Zero Tolerance for all travelers in our airports. Why don't our children and teachers deserve this same kind of total protection? 4. How many stories of "smash and grab" with weapons taken from locked cars have you read about recently? Easy enough to do on unprotected school grounds. 5. The certainty of the enormous cost of potential lawsuits will confront our school system already dealing with major financial problems. An open discussion of these hazards facing our schools should be sufficient to persuade the majority of our School Board members to alter their initial votes for change, thus ensuring the current Zero Tolerance policy will continue to protect our School population.

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