Schoolteacher accidentally shoots self in leg at Utah school

Utah is among the few states that allow people with concealed weapons permits to carry guns in public schools. 

A school teacher accidentally shot herself in the leg when a concealed weapon she was carrying discharged in a faculty bathroom shortly before classes started Thursday morning, officials said.

School District spokesman Ben Horsley said the teacher at a school, in Salt Lake City, Utah, was severely injured when the bullet pierced her leg. She was rushed to a hospital where she was in good condition and alert, Horsley said.

Utah is among the few states that allow people with concealed weapons permits to carry guns in public schools. Teachers are not required to disclose they're carrying a weapon, and administrators are prohibited from asking.

Horsley said the School District requires teachers who carry guns at school and to keep the weapons with them at all times, including inside a bathroom stall.

No other faculty or students witnessed the shooting, but they might have heard the gunshot or seen the teacher as she was being taken to the hospital, he said.

Classes were continuing as usual, and crisis counselors were available, Horsley said. Officials were still investigating how the gun discharged.

Horsley wouldn't release details about the woman or what she taught, but he noted she was carrying the weapon legally.