I. Dangerous Weapons Prohibited – Application to Students, Staff, and Other Persons

Students, staff, and all other persons, including, but not limited to, visitors, vendors/contractors, and non-Seattle Public Schools students, are prohibited from carrying or possessing a firearm or dangerous weapon on school premises, school-provided transportation, areas of other facilities being used exclusively for school activities, or areas of facilities being used for official meetings of the School Board.

Individuals are exempt from this prohibition only to the extent permitted by law, including individuals engaged in authorized military or law enforcement activities.

II. Definitions

• School premises includes property, or portion(s) of property, owned, rented or leased by the District when the property, or portion(s) of property, is being used exclusively for District activities.
• Dangerous weapon has the meaning provided under state law (RCW 9.41.280) and includes:
  • Any firearm;
  • Any device commonly known as “nun-chu-ka sticks,” consisting of two or more length of wood, metal, plastic, or similar substance connected with wire, rope, or other means;
  • Any device, commonly known as “throwing stars,” which are multi-pointed, metal objects designed to embed upon impact from any aspect;
  • Any air gun, including any air pistol or air rifle, designed to propel a BB, pellet, or other projectile by the discharge of compressed air, carbon dioxide, or other gas;
  • Any portable device manufactured to function as a weapon and which is commonly known as a stun gun, including a projectile stun gun which projects wired probes that are attached to the device that emit an electrical charge designed to administer to a person or an animal an electric shock, charge, or impulse;
  • Any device, object, or instrument which is used or intended to be used as a weapon with the intent to injure a person by an electric shock, charge, or impulse;
  • The following instruments:
    • Any dirk or dagger;
    • Any knife with a blade longer than three inches;
    • Any knife with a blade which is automatically released by a spring mechanism or other mechanical device;
    • Any knife having a blade which opens, or falls or is ejected into position by the force of gravity, or by outward, downward, or centrifugal thrust or movement; and
    • Any razor with an unguarded blade;
    • Any slung shot, sandbag, or sand club;
    • Metal knuckles;
    • A sling shot;
    • Any metal pipe or bar used or intended to be used as a club;
    • Any explosive;
    • Any weapon containing poisonous or injurious gas;
    • Any implement or instrument which has the capacity to inflict death and from the manner in which it is used, is likely to produce or may easily and readily produce death.
• In addition, the District considers the following weapons to be in violation of this policy:
  • Any knife or razor not listed above, except for instruments authorized or provided for specific school activities;
  • Any object other than those listed above which is used in a manner to intimidate, threaten, or injure another person and is capable of easily and readily producing such injury.

III. Reporting Violations and Disciplinary Response

Call 9-1-1 if a student has a firearm or there is another imminent threat.

The Safety and Security Office (206-252-0707), school administrator, and Regional Executive Director of Schools should also be notified immediately.

Additional reporting requirements may be outlined in District policies and procedures.

• Student Violations

If District staff believe that a student has violated this policy, an appropriate school authority will promptly notify the student’s parents or guardians and the appropriate law enforcement agency of known or suspected violations of this policy.

All disciplinary actions issued to students who violate this policy are subject to Board Policy No. 3240, Student Behavior and Disciplinary Responses, and the Basic Rules of Seattle Public Schools. State law requires expulsion for not less than one year for students who have been determined to have carried or possessed a firearm on school premises in violation of this policy and provides for suspension or expulsion for up to one year if a student acts with malice (as defined under RCW 9A.04.110) and displays a device that appears to be a firearm.

• Staff Violations

If a District employee believes that another District employee has violated this policy, the employee will report the concerns to an appropriate school or District authority for further inquiry and discipline, as applicable, under Board Policy No. 5281, Staff Disciplinary Action and Discharge.

IV. District Prohibitions

It is the policy of this District that the presence of firearms and other dangerous weapons in the workplace or educational environment is to be minimized as much as possible. As such, the following activities are prohibited by this policy regardless of whether such possession would violate state law, and regardless of whether the weapon is secured in a vehicle or possessed by a person with a concealed weapons permit:

• No District employee may bring any firearm or dangerous weapon onto any District property without prior authorization of the Superintendent.
• No person or entity renting, leasing, or otherwise being granted the right to temporary use of District property may possess, or allow its guests to possess, firearms or dangerous weapons on District premises. This provision does not extend to a property rented or leased as a personal domicile.

V. Exceptions

• Tools and Knives

This policy does not apply to employees and vendors/contractors who possess devices or objects that are used in the course of their employment (e.g., tools, box cutter, scalpel, or kitchen knife). 

This policy does not apply to kitchen knives when possessed and used for food preparation and culinary purposes. 

Non-student visitors may carry a small folding knife (2-½ inch blade or less) for personal use, provided the knife is not used or displayed as a weapon. 

• Permitted Firearms

State law provides that the following persons may carry firearms into school buildings, as necessary, although students engaged in these activities are restricted to the possession of rifles on school premises:

• Persons engaged in military, law enforcement, or school district security activities;
• Persons involved in an authorized convention, showing, demonstration, lecture or firearm safety course authorized by the Superintendent;
• Persons competing in firearm or air gun competitions authorized by the Superintendent; and
• Any federal, state, or local law enforcement officer.

The following persons who are over eighteen years of age, not employed by the District, and not enrolled as students may have firearms in their possession on school property outside of school buildings only under the following limited circumstances:

• Persons who have a concealed weapons permit issued pursuant to RCW 9.41.070 and are (1) picking up or dropping off students at school or (2) attending official meetings of the School Board held off District owned or leased property; and
• Persons conducting legitimate business at the school and in lawful possession of a firearm or dangerous weapon if the weapon is secured within an attended vehicle, is unloaded and secured in a vehicle, or is concealed from view in a locked, unattended vehicle. Under RCW 9.41.050, no one may lawfully possess a loaded handgun in a vehicle unless the person has a valid concealed pistol permit.

• Authorized Activity

Persons may bring dangerous weapons, other than firearms, onto school premises if the weapons are lawfully within the person’s possession and are to be used in a school-authorized activity or class such as a martial arts class.

VI. Personal Protection Spray

Persons eighteen years of age or older, and persons between fourteen and seventeen years of age with written parental or guardian permission, may possess personal protection spray devices on school property. No one under eighteen years of age may deliver such devices. No one eighteen years or older may deliver a spray device to anyone under fourteen, or to anyone between fourteen and seventeen who does not have parental permission.

Personal protection spray devices may not be used other than in self-defense as defined by state law. Possession, transmission or use of personal protection spray devices under any other circumstances is a violation of District policy.

VII. Direction to Post Gun-Free Zone Signs

The Superintendent is directed to ensure that all school facilities post “Gun-Free Zone” signs, and that all known violations of this policy and RCW 9.41.280 are reported annually to the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction.

The Superintendent is also directed to ensure that signs providing notice of restrictions on possessing dangerous weapons are posted at each facility being used for official meetings of the Board.

Superintendent Procedure:

Policy Cross References:

• 1400 – Board Meetings
• 3143 – Notification and Dissemination of Information About Student Offenses and Notification of Threats of Violence or Harm
• 3201 – Discipline Appeal Council
• 3225 – School-Based Threat Assessment
• 3240 – Student Behavior and Disciplinary Responses
• 3432 – Emergencies
• 4200 – School Visitations and Maintaining Safe and Orderly Environments
• 4260 – Use of School Facilities
• 4310 – District Relationships with Law Enforcement and Other Government Agencies
• 4311 – School Safety and Security Services Program
• 5281 – Staff Disciplinary Action and Discharge
• 6882 – Rental, Lease and Sale of Real Property

Previous Policies:

• D81.00 – Weapons Prohibition

Legal References:

• RCW 9A.16.020 Use of force – when lawful.
• RCW 9.41.250 Dangerous weapons—Penalty.
• RCW 9.41.280 Possessing dangerous weapons on school facilities—Penalty—Exceptions.
• RCW 9.91.160 Personal protection spray devices.
• RCW 9.94A.825 Deadly weapon special verdict—definition.
• RCW 28A.600.420 Firearms on school premises, transportation, or facilities—Penalty—Exemptions.
• 18 U.S.C. § 921 Firearm Defined.
• 20 U.S.C. § 8921; Gun Free Schools Act of 1994.

Management Resources:

• WSSDA Policy & Legal News; June 2022
• Basic Rules of Seattle Public Schools 

Last Board Review:

• July 2, 2025

Revisions:

• July 2, 2025
• May 27, 2025 (Administrative Update per Policy No. 1310)
• April 24, 2024 (Administrative Update per Policy No. 1310)
• January 23, 2023 (Administrative Update per Policy No. 1310)

Adopted by the Board:

• November 20, 2013