All schools carry some level of liability insurance in case students, teachers or visitors are injured while on school grounds. Would the insurance rates change if armed personnel were present in Bozeman schools?

Would Bozeman schools have to go without insurance, or self-insure, in order to have armed teachers or trained professionals carrying weapons to protect students?

Kansas May Have The Answer

Kansas lawmakers are reversing the common thought process about guns in school.

Rather than not holding schools libel for a shooting when there are no weapons present; Kansas will hold schools libel if guns ARE NOT present.

What about liability insurance? Currently insurance companies would prefer that teachers or other school employees not carry guns or it could void the insurance policy.

Kansas also has that covered.

Their proposed bill would prohibit insurance companies from refusing to cover any school that allows teachers or guards to carry weapons.

Any increase in liability rates are yet to be determined since the first reading of the proposed bill was first introduced earlier this week.

Many things have to be ironed out before, or if, the law will go into effect.

Kansas is a concealed carry state and teachers are allowed to carry guns. But insurance companies have reported that they would not cover schools who arm teachers.

As a result, many schools have opted out of teachers arming themselves.

Where Does This Leave Bozeman?

Bozeman school administrators, teachers, students, teachers’ unions, and parents all want the same thing — school safety. But how to do it is the issue.

If I were a teacher, and I have taught classes at both MSU and Gallatin College, I think I would consider arming myself if I were doing it today.

I’m guessing that would be a violation of current school policy. But I think I would put my personal safety and that of my students ahead of school liability.

Covering my burial costs would not be the extra bonus I was expecting from the school system.

Insurance is the 700 lb, gorilla in the living room that most people forget. We would not only be talking liability but medical and personal injury as well.

Putting armed personnel in schools might seem like a quick easy fix until the worst happens. Someone panics and the wrong person is killed.

Then the ambulance chasers line up for a big payday and taxpayers foot the bill when insurance won’t ante up.

Some Final Thoughts

As always, Washington, DC. leaders are apoplectic to pass some sort of meaningful law that will solve the problem. Here’s an idea for a law — why not make school shootings illegal?

Oh Wait — they already are.

So are school knifings, baseball bat bashing, and running students down with trucks or vans.

So please tells me — what laws are you going to pass that will solve this problem and make insurance companies go broke?

Until we fix society Parkland, Florida will just be the latest — not the last. Does Kansas have a fix? Until there is one Bozeman students are in the cross hairs. Comments below.

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