Summary: For the safety of all students and staff, FHPS should display clear and prominent signage of the district weapons policy at the entrance of every FHPS building.

Rationale: Few Michiganders know the Michigan carry laws on school property differ from other establishments. Most FHPS parents do not know there’s a blanket weapons ban in place at FHPS. Our community needs educated and our building policies need displayed, so there’s no confusion.

Expected Time line: 2023/24 School Year

Summary: BOE will direct the Superintendent and staff to update the Student Handbook to include information about the secure storage of firearms. The Board also shall direct the Superintendent to create an appropriate letter to caregivers that explains the importance of secure gun storage to protect minors from accessing irresponsibly stored guns, to be included in annual registration materials at each school site, and requiring a signature acknowledging awareness of secure gun storage responsibilities. The Board and the Superintendent will continue to work with local law enforcement agencies, health agencies and non-profits to collaborate and increase efforts to inform FHPS parents about secure storage of firearms in their homes.

Rationale: As of December 2021, more than 2 million students nationwide attend schools with firearm storage awareness policies. School officials can pass resolutions to ensure parents know how secure gun storage can prevent school shootings. In the vast majority of active shooter incidents in K-12 schools, the shooter or shooters were school-age and were current or former students and obtained their guns from their home or the homes of relatives. Research shows that more than half of gun owners do not store all of their guns securely. Oftentimes, the guns taken from the home and used by school-age shooters were easily accessible or were not stored securely. By taking proactive steps to promote responsible gun ownership and secure firearm storage, schools can prevent school gun violence and help keep school communities safe.

Expected Time line: 2022/23 School Year

Summary: Assess whether the potential but unproven benefits of these drills outweigh their known collateral consequences to school communities’ mental health and wellbeing.

Rationale: 95% of American public schools drill students on lockdown procedures. Yet, there is almost no research affirming the value of these drills for preventing school shootings or protecting the school community when shootings do occur. While only 0.2% of gun deaths a year occur on school grounds, drills to prepare students and staff to respond in the unlikely event of a shooting have become a near-universal practice in American schools today. While there is limited proof of the effectiveness of these drills, anecdotal evidence, including many online conversations, increasingly suggests that active shooter drills may be harmful to mental health.

Expected Time line: 2022/23

Summary: Students being allowed to carry bags throughout the day and into classes creates an easy opportunity to conceal weapons and contraband. Bags should remain in lockers during the school day, unless going to and from PE.

Rationale: Backpacks in class are both a personal safety and medical issue. Common sense says it is easier to conceal a weapon in a bag than on a person. FHPS has no metal detectors to deter this. Also, parents, medical experts and school administrators have raised questions about the long- term effects of backpack weight on developing bodies.

Expected Time line: ASAP