The Oregon Court of Appeals has rejected a request by a high school English teacher to carry a handgun at school, the latest legal setback for the teacher who says she needs the gun for protection from her former husband.

Shirley Katz had argued the Medford School District lacked authority to set a policy banning employees from carrying firearms.

But the appeals court on Wednesday upheld a Jackson County trial judge who ruled the school district could prohibit guns on campus. District officials said they were pleased with the decision because it affected work rules intended to ensure staff and school safety.

Katz has a concealed weapons permit and has said she needed her 9 mm semiautomatic pistol because her ex-husband made threats during their divorce in 2004.