DETROIT _ The Michigan Court of Appeals has ruled that Ann Arbor Public Schools can ban the possession of guns on school property and at school-sponsored activities, upholding a lower court ruling.
The district was sued last year by Michigan Gun Owners and Ulysses Wong, a district parent who has a concealed pistol license. They objected to policies the district's board of education approved in April 2015.
The ruling was issued by a three-judge panel of the court, including Appellate Judges Elizabeth Gleicher, Kristen Frank Kelly and Douglas Shapiro.
The case was widely watched by school officials statewide and gun rights advocates. State law allows anyone with a concealed pistol license to openly carry a gun in a school. But many school districts have developed policies banning guns in schools, concealed or not, saying they have the right to ensure the safety of their students.
The state law prohibits a "local unit of government" from, among other things, banning the possession of firearms. A key issue in the case was whether that applies to a school district. The Michigan Legislature, the appeals court said, defines a local unit of government as a city, village, township or county.
"A school district is not included in that list," the court said, and therefore, the state law "does not control the outcome of this case."
Meanwhile, the plaintiffs raised concerns that a "patchwork" of policies that differ from district to district will create confusion and place too much burden on police and the public.
"We find no merit in this argument," the ruling said. "The Legislature has broadly empowered school districts to 'provide for the safety and welfare of pupils while at school or a school-sponsored activity or while en route to or from school or a school-sponsored activity.'"
The court said the Legislature recognized that different school districts would employ different methods to address safety issues.
"Most parents easily learn and adapt to the policies and procedures applicable to their children's schools and district."
The Ann Arbor district's policy, the court said, "ensures that the learning environment remains uninterrupted by the invocation of emergency procedures which would surely be required each and every time a weapon is openly carried by a citizen into a school building."
