Sacramento-area school district confirms guns kept on campus

For six years, parents had no idea that staff members were stashing guns at their children’s schools in the Folsom Cordova school district east of Sacramento.

“We are all too aware of mass shootings in school communities and the dangers posed by criminals who want to do harm,” she wrote in a letter to families Tuesday.

The safety of our students, staff, and families, is our number one priority, and our narrow practice of allowing select, law-abiding employees to securely store and access a firearm in the event of an emergency is a legal and appropriate safety measure given the unfortunate reality of violence in our society today.

Across the country, many states have been debating legislation in recent years that would allow those with concealed weapons permits to carry guns on K-12 and college campuses.

While a new state law prevents concealed weapons permit holders from carrying guns on school campuses, superintendents can override that with written authorization.

Please understand that we are unable to divulge most specifics — such as locations, positions and identities of approved employees — because we and local law enforcement officials believe doing so could create potential threats against sites and individuals.