Lebanon
Under the policy, weapons are also banned “on school property, in school vehicles or at school-sponsored activities” in the city. The rule applies to members of the public, faculty and students alike.
Speaking to the board on Wednesday, Superintendent Joanne Roberts said the additional wording comes at a time when other area districts are “looking at their weapons on school property policies.”
Board members did not debate the change in language before voting unanimously to adopt it.
“The wording doesn’t have a major change,” Roberts said in an email last week.
A board member asked the district’s Policy Committee last spring to review the Lebanon’s existing weapons ban, Roberts explained, adding the committee came back this fall with the recommended wording.
“There was not a long discussion at either the committee or board level,” she said.
Board Chairman Jeff Peavey and Vice Chairman Richard Milius declined to comment on the policy last week.
A message left on Sunday for Policy Committee Chairwoman Christina Haidari was not returned.
Several Upper Valley school districts have either revised or adopted new firearms policies since last spring. That’s when state Rep. David Binford, R-Orford, arrived armed with a holstered handgun to provide security at a Rivendell Academy playoff basketball game.
Binford, who also coaches softball at the school, was asked by school officials to provide security at the game, but they didn’t expect he would show up carrying a firearm.
The incident raised questions in the community about who is allowed to bring guns into New Hampshire schools and what regulations can be enacted by local school boards.
While the federal Gun-Free School Zones Act with few exceptions prohibits guns on school property, municipal police don’t have the authority to enforce the federal law, according to legal guidance from the New Hampshire Attorney General’s Office. And unlike Vermont, the Granite State doesn’t have a state law banning firearms on school property.
Even with those limitation, however, the hands of law enforcement aren’t entirely tied, according to Lebanon Police Chief Richard Mello. School districts, companies and organizations are allowed to create their own firearms ban, he said, and police still can respond when someone refuses to comply.
“The way such a policy is enforced is that if someone entered a building, such as a school, with a firearm and the school had a ‘no firearm’ policy, they could ask that person to secure the gun outside the building or leave the location altogether,” Mello said in an email last week. “If the person refused, the school or company could call the police and ask us to remove the person for trespassing.”
Hanover Police Chief Charlie Dennis also has said his agency would respond similarly to enforce a firearms policy adopted by the Dresden School District in June.
Dresden’s policy is nearly identical to Lebanon’s, prohibiting weapons in “school buildings, on school property, in school vehicles or at school-sponsored events.” It rule covers Hanover High School and Richmond Middle School.
Other Upper Valley districts also have similar policies already on the books.
The Claremont School Board approved a policy banning weapons on “school property, in school vehicles or at school sponsored activities” in 2006. It applies to students as well as members of the public, and states that anyone in violation will be reported to local police.
The Mascoma Valley Regional School District adopted its policy in 1993, more recently amending it in 2015. Like the other districts, it also prohibits weapons on school property, vehicles and at school activities. The Rivendell School Board has also made a move to restrict firearms. The board voted in June to adopt a policy stating that only uniformed police officers can provide security at events, and is further exploring ways to enforce a wider ban.
Tim Camerato can be reached at tcamerato@vnews.com or 603-727-3223.