(Updated, 1:10 p.m.)
English teacher Shirley Katz will not be able to carry her concealed weapon on the South Medford High School campus, a judge has ruled.

Jackson County Circuit Court Judge Phil Arnold published a written opinion today that the Medford School District has a right to enforce its policy prohibiting employees from carrying guns on campus.

State law allows people with permits to carry concealed firearms into schools and other public buildings, but most school districts in the state have passed policies forbidding employees from doing so.

Arnold ruled that the state statute Katz used in her argument does not apply to school districts, as it prohibits government entities from enacting “civil or criminal ordinances” regulating or restricting firearms contrary to state law.

“In this case, it is clear the district’s prohibition on weapons is contained in a school board employee policy, and is not an ordinance,” Arnold wrote.

“The district policy applies to only employees and others working for the district. The policy is known to those persons in advance. They accept their jobs subject to, and knowing, the policy,” the judge wrote.

Backed by the Oregon Firearms Educational Foundation, Katz filed a lawsuit Sept. 18 claiming she has a right to bring her concealed handgun to school. She said she wants to carry her 9 mm Glock semiautomatic pistol to guard against an ex-husband who she claims is violent and to protect students from intruders.

Gerry Katz, a commercial photographer, has denied he has acted violently toward his ex-wife and has said he’s not a threat to her or to others at South Medford. No assault charges have been listed against him in Jackson County court records.

— Staff reports