Armed teachers in Utah: Law-abiding and unknown

April Jolley is a stay-at-home mom of three boys, Cohen, 2, Drew, 4 and Gavin, 6. She said she would feel comfortable with a teacher having a gun in her son’s classroom if they have completed training.
(This is a screen grab from a video interview). Amy Slanchik

By Kate Murphy and Amy Slanchik

April Jolley is a stay-at-home mom with three young boys who will all attend Ensign Elementary School in Salt Lake City.

“When they leave for school I pray every morning that they’re safe,” she said.

Jolley was unaware that one of her son’s teachers could potentially have a gun in the classroom.

After the deadly shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School in 2012, several school districts throughout the United States have chosen to allow teachers to be armed in the classroom, with hopes that the teacher could protect students and faculty from being injured or killed by a gunman.

However, in Utah a law that allows this has been in place for more than a decade. The law enables anyone with a concealed carry permit, including teachers, to bring his or her firearm into any K-12 public school building.

Jolley, who moved to Salt Lake City about three years ago, feels that her kids’ teachers should have the right to defend themselves and protect their students rather than be left vulnerable if an attack should happen.

“I’d feel more comfortable that way, then if something happened they would be better protected as long as the teacher knew how to use it,” Jolley said. “I know there are a lot of people who don’t know how to use a gun. It’d be good for them to be required to take a course beforehand along with getting a gun license.”

Amy Dayton is a first grade teacher at Timpanogos Elementary School in Provo, Utah. She said she wouldn’t carry a gun at her school because she hasn’t been trained, but wouldn’t mind if other teachers did. Amy Slanchik

First grade teacher Amy Dayton of Provo, Utah, said she wouldn’t carry a gun in the classroom because she hasn’t been trained, but wouldn’t mind if other teachers she works with at Timpanogos Elementary School did carry.

“If you are at the mercy of others, it could almost be a good thing,” Dayton said.

Teachers in Utah are not required by law to tell anyone about bringing a gun to school. Parents, principals, fellow teachers and superintendents of school districts may have no idea if a teacher is carrying or how many guns are in the school — if any.

“It’d be good to know, but then you have the worry,” Jolley said. “I like the idea that it’s by chance.”

Jolley said a school shooting is not something you could prevent whether the teachers are armed or not.

“I am fearful, but it’s not something I try to think about everyday.”

Amy Slanchik is an Ethics and Excellence in Journalism Foundation News21 Fellow.