Bill seeks to keep names of armed school personnel secret

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) – Oklahoma lawmakers are considering legislation that would allow the identities of school personnel who carry weapons to be kept secret.

The Tulsa World (http://bit.ly/1oyc5wu ) reports that the measure by Republican state Sen. Jason Smalley of Stroud passed the Oklahoma House of Representatives on Monday. It will now return to the Senate for final passage.

The bill exempts records containing the names of school personnel from the Oklahoma Open Records and Open Meetings Acts. Republican state Rep. Jeff Coody of Grandfield, the bill’s sponsor in the House, said administrators and school boards want to be able to keep the names secret for the safety of the personnel.

Opponents argued that parents should be able to find out who’s carrying guns at their children’s schools.