Secure Storage
All students and members of our school community deserve to feel safe, welcomed, and included. It is on all of us to work together to prevent firearm violence and to avoid the harm and tragedy that shootings of any kind can cause in the spaces in which we live, learn, work, and play. Kelloggsville wants to protect all of the kids in our community which is why we passed a Board resolution on 5/20/24 in support of safe and secure storage of all firearms.
Safe Firearm Storage: Actions to Take to Keep Our Community Safe
Safe firearm storage can help prevent and minimize the risk of firearm-related deaths and injuries. Firearm owners and non-owners have a role to play in building awareness of safe, responsible firearm storage. Below are simple, highly effective practices that can help reduce firearm-related incidents in our community and help protect our kids. In addition to these practices, it is important to also engage children and adolescents in conversations about the dangers associated with using firearms and what to do and not do in the event they access a firearm to prevent fatal or non-fatal injuries. Here is a helpful link about how to talk to your kids about guns.
Safely Store Firearms: Store firearms—always unloaded—in a tamper-proof locked cabinet, box, safe, firearm vault, or storage case that children or other unauthorized adults cannot access.
Safely Store Ammunition: Store ammunition in a separate, tamper-proof locked cabinet, safe, firearm vault, or storage case that children or other unauthorized adults cannot access.
Secure Firearms: Use trigger locks or cable locks to prevent a firearm from firing. (More information can be found on the Safe Firearm Storage Fact Sheet, developed by the U.S. Department of Justice.)
Kelloggsville Public Schools remains committed to helping ensure the safety of our students and school community. We can all work together to promote awareness about how we can protect our children and our whole school community by safely storing firearms and preventing tragedies from ever occurring. This is why Kelloggsville Public Schools will offer free trigger cable locks to Kelloggsville families. Please stop by the Central office at 242 52nd St. to pick up the free lock. Thank you for being a partner in these efforts and for helping reduce firearm-related injuries and deaths in our community. For more information go to https://besmartforkids.org.
Kelloggsville Public Schools Secured Storage Resolution
Kelloggsville Public Schools Secured Storage Resolution
Whereas, Evidence strongly suggests that secure firearm storage is an essential component to any effective strategy to keep schools and students safe;
Whereas, An estimated 4.6 million American children live in households with at least one loaded, unlocked firearm;
Whereas, Every year, roughly 350 children under the age of 18 unintentionally shoot themselves or someone else. That's nearly one unintentional shooting per day, and 70 percent of these incidents take place inside a home;
Whereas, Another 1,200 children and teens die by gun suicide each year, most often using guns belonging to a family member;
Whereas, In incidents of gun violence on school grounds, 75 percent of active shooters were current students or recent graduates;
Whereas, Research shows that secure firearm storage practices are associated with up to an 85 percent reduction in the risk of self-inflicted and unintentional firearm injuries among children and teens;
Whereas, The U.S. Secret Service National Threat Assessment Center recommends the importance of appropriate storage of firearms because 76 percent of school shooters used firearms acquired from the homes of parents or close relatives;
Whereas, Across the country, lawmakers, community members, and local leaders are working together to implement public awareness campaigns, such as the Be SMART program, which is endorsed by the National PTA and which encourages secure gun storage practices and highlights the public safety risks of unsecured guns;
Whereas, School districts across the country have begun to proactively send materials home to parents and guardians informing them of applicable firearm storage laws and firearm secure storage best practices;
Whereas, Keeping students, teachers and staff safe from the threat of gun violence should be the responsibility of all adult stakeholders at each of our school sites;
Whereas, State law imposes penalties on adults when a child gains unauthorized access to an unsecurely stored firearm;
Whereas, In order to continue with preventative measures to increase student and school safety we must act now; now therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Kelloggsville Board of Education directs the Superintendent and staff to provide information about the importance of secure gun storage, the legal consequences to parents and guardians when a child gains unauthorized access to an unsecurely stored firearm, and that the best practice for secure gun storage is to keep all guns unloaded, locked up, and separate from ammunition;
Resolved further, That the Kelloggsville Board of Education directs the Superintendent to create an appropriate letter, in English and Spanish, to parents and guardians that explains the importance of secure gun storage in preventing minors from accessing guns, the legal consequences to parents and guardians when a child gains unauthorized access to an unsecurely stored firearm, and that the best practice for secure gun storage is to keep all guns unloaded, locked up, and separate from ammunition, to be included in annual registration materials at each school site, and, be it finally;
Resolved, That the Kelloggsville Board of Education and the Superintendent will continue to work with local law enforcement agencies, health agencies, and non-profits to collaborate and increase efforts to inform District parents of their obligations regarding secure storage of firearms in their homes.
Gun Safety Law Information
Be SMART
S- Secure all firearms in homes and vehicles.
M- Model responsible behavior around guns.
A- Ask about the presence of unsecured guns in other homes.
R- Recognize the role of guns in suicides.
T- Tell your peers to be SMART.
