Signs Prohibiting Weapons Coming to Waukesha Schools

Prompted by state approval of concealed carry and resulting questions, the will post signs prohibiting “weapons” as reminders for people to leave any weapons at home.

Legal advice obtained by the district recommended the wording of the signs, which will be in accordance with state law prohibiting weapons in schools and not based on the recently approved concealed carry firearm laws, according to Superintendent Todd Gray.

“We have information from our law firm that if we are going to put signs in our schools warning of weapons, they should be based on state law that currently exists and not on the concealed carry law,” Gray informed the school board Wednesday night.

Gray said that they have had questions from parents and others because some governmental organizations are allowing concealed carry in their buildings.

The signs would “be comfort people for coming into our school, knowing that we do not allow any kind of weapons and it would be tied to original state and federal law that prevents any kind of weapons, not just firearms, in public schools,” Gray said. 

The signs would inform or remind people of state law prohibiting weapons in schools, Gray said, and could prevent people who may be carrying a gun from getting into trouble for bringing it into schools.

­­– police officers at the schools – will still have their weapons, according to Gray.

Gray said that the district doesn’t have a policy regarding concealed carry but that it doesn’t need one. Regardless of whether the district would want to allow concealed carry in the schools, state and federal law prohibits it. 

Posting the signs will not be a liability for the district, according to Gray, because that issue pertains to the concealed carry law and businesses. The district’s signs will not be tied to concealed carry but rather to other state and federal laws regarding weapons in schools.

The signs would be used “sparingly” in the district, Gray said.