By law, students have the right to have a concealed weapons permit. The University of Michigan (U-M) and the School of Social Work (SSW), Office of Field Education (OFE) do not have the ability or authority to regulate this in field placement; however, we highly discourage students from carrying concealed weapons while engaging in field-related activities.

A student is prohibited from carrying a concealed weapon to any field site that is located on University of Michigan property, according to the U-M Regents’ Ordinance (http://spg.umich.edu/policy/201.94 ) and the U-M Statement of Student Rights and Responsibilities (https://oscr.umich.edu/statement ).

The School of Social Work/OFE cannot enforce these rules at its affiliated field sites. The student's ability to carry a weapon with a permit is then determined by law (some field sites may have a no carry zone under Michigan law) or by policies developed by the individual field site. The student is expected to abide by the law and the field site's policy.

SSW/OFE encourages its field sites to develop guidelines/policies regarding concealed weapons permits related to social work student field placements. It is imperative that students are informed regarding field site guidelines and policies related to concealed weapons permits.