What is considered a School ?

[Michael]

I know that carrying a firearm is illegal in a school, licensed or not. But what is considered a school? Is a Private Tech School located in a business park a "School"...Should I follow the Building Codes version of a School ?.....If a occupancy certifate for the building does not have the building listed as an "E" (educational) is that not considered a school. ie Collages are listed as a "b" (business) on the certifactes due to the fact that "e" is up to the 12th grade only....

puzzled..

 

[Len-2A Training]

Colleges are illegal turf. That's a fact.

Can't tell you about tech schools (ITT and ilk), I would guess so, but it is purely a guess.

 

[Michael]

must go by the the occupancy permit...

Thanks..I am planning on returning to electrical school to upgrage to the next electrical license...just curious.

 

[Gammon]

To complicate matters, some theaters are owned by colleges/universities; are they considered "schools"?

 

[M1911]

A few years back I paid my attorney to research a related issue. We all agree that college and university campuses are "schools" for the purposes of this law. However, many universities in the Boston area have large commercial real estate holdings. For example, Harvard and MIT own a very large percentage of the land in Cambridge, including many commercial buildings. Many (most?) of the buildings near Kendall Square are owned by MIT. So, are those schools or not? Most of them do not have university offices in them. There's one high rise that does have a small university office in it, but no classrooms, labs, or professor's offices. So, are they schools or not?

My attorney was unable to find any precedent. Anyone want to be a test case?

 

[KMaurer]

In Massachusetts, all PreK-12 schools are licensed by the Board of Education. Essentially everything post 12, from Harvard to trade school, is licensed by the Board of Higher Education. (If it qualifies for a Pell Grant or other state or federal financial aid, it's licensed.) The only problem is determining which of their ancillary operations and real estate holdings would be considered "schools". In the absence of any case law, you're pretty much guessing how a court would decide.

Ken

 

[Len-2A Training]

I could see people (NOT students) in parts of Boston or Cambridge renting apartments thru agencies and being totally unaware that the ownership is a college.

Somehow I seriously doubt that anyone would prosecute said residents for having firearms on "school property".

The more interesting case would be a high-rise building with a few college offices on one floor and the rest commercial/residential. When I was a Grad Student at Suffolk University back in the very late 1970s, I recall having to go to a single SU office (Registrar's Office?) located in one of the upper floors of the First National Bank building in the plaza on Cambridge Street. SU was renting space where they could find it.

 

[dbhn]

Plus, a lot of continuing ed classes are being taught at nights and on weekends in rented space. This is becoming more and more popular as colleges want to make taking higher ed classes more convenient for their working students.

For example, before the mall in Worc. closed, Quinsig college was one of their big renters and held classes there. A bunch of them have rented class space in the Metrowest area. Etc.

It is to the point that you could "bump into" one of these spaces without even knowing it. Same could be said for Harvard and MIT. I am sure many, many people drive on roads within the campuses and don't even know it. I am sure I've been one of them.

This is such a stupid law.

 

[ijw]

I work in an office building that has 2 computer "schools" on the first floor. One of them is a rent-a-lab place that software companies use to do training, and the other is a Microsoft Certification place. I wonder if these would qualify as schools.

Assuming that they do qualify, where am I prohibited from carrying? In those offices only or in the entire building?

 

[vellnueve]

I'm going to guess that they do not, but IANAL.

 

[drgrant]

I think the "who owns the property" tack
is interesting but at the same time its a nitpicker festival. I think
somewhere there is a disconnect between things which are "school
property" and which are owned by a a school.

Curse the people that wrote the law for not being very
specific. If they had bothered to specify I'm sure
that the law would be a lot more limited in scope overall.

-Mike

 

[Prepper]

Last week, I went for a walk in the woods where the trail head began at some kind of odd Harvard "research station". I have no idea what kind of research they do there, but there were emu running around in the yard. "School"?

Another example, Mass General Hospital is affiliated with Harvard. So, MGH off limits? (What if I had a medical emergency and was brought in while still carrying?)

 

[ateamrob]

But what is considered a school? Is a Private Tech School located in a business park a "School

uhh..... Kids, books, busses and teachers.... oh yeah and playgrounds too....

sorry I could not help it... Just in a funny mood tonight....

 

[Executive]

<<<Shameless plug to follow>>>​

I teach the journeyman and master electrician course at North Shore Tech in Middleton. This is absolutely a school and you may not carry there. You can, however according to MGL, follow locked storage procedures and keep your firearm properly stored in your vehicle while in my class. And then shoot at Danvers Fish and Game after class which is 30 seconds up the road... Contact me for more information about the class, and shooting at Danvers. By the way, it's a good class.

 

[M1911]

These are all interesting questions. If anyone can find a MA precedent, I sure would like to see it.

 

[JGreen]

MGL fails to mention nursery schools in this section of law.

 

[EddieCoyle]

MGL fails to mention nursery schools in this section of law.

Emus are also not specified by name. I'm not sure about other flightless birds.