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If I could carry in my car I would! I just don't like driving home without my firearm etc. like the OP described and honestly I can't afford to be fired. When I say it is useless in the car I am referring to a Sandy Hook like situation and not the OPs question(sorry). The officers on my campus would be there before I could even get to my car and I can run very fast . An elementary school would be different. Smaller parking lot and school. I could run back real fast. Under a minute easily! In a sprawling HS on the second floor I am at least a minute from my car at a flat out run one way! I am just lucky that my ISD has a dedicated police force of over 40 officers. 2 of which are in my HS at all times during regular school hours. Most ISDs that are out in the rural areas or that are smaller don't have a dedicated police force. They rely on local police or pay to have local police in their school. That changes everything imo!

As for the OPs original question. No it is not illegal for your wife to carry in her car if she has a CHL. That much I can tell you. As for carry in the parking lot it is always a good idea to contact an attorney to make sure his/her interpretation of the isd handbook regs. Just my 2 cents.

The question is, is that convenience worth the possibility of her getting fired?

Only you and your wife can answer that and I would also talk to an attorney about his/her interpretation of the policy. I have never seen one that calls out a CHL. Only weapons prohibited on premises and then they give an example or on all school district property like mine.

"Employees, visitors, and students, including those with a license to carry a concealed handgun,
are prohibited from bringing firearms, knives, clubs or other prohibited weapons onto school
premises (i.e., building or portion of a building) or any grounds or building where a school sponsored activity takes place. To ensure the safety of all persons, employees who observe or suspect a violation of the District’s weapons policy should report it to their supervisor."

The way I read this is she can carry in her car. Why?

onto school premises (i.e., building or portion of a building) or any grounds or building where a school sponsored activity takes place.

The only problem with this is that if for some reason they hold a school sponsored activity in the parking lot. At my school the band sometimes practices in the parking lot. My district policy says on all school property.

Take it for what you will. I am not an attorney and it stills doesn't change the fact that she can't bring the firearm into the school without legal trouble. Like I said the firearm is pretty much useless in the car imo. If you live out in the country where it takes 10 +minutes for officers to respond is one thing but in the suburbs where I live they would probably get there before I could run out to my car and get back in.

I am a Texas school teacher. The correct answer is #2. My school district prohibits any weapons on any school property if you are faculty or staff. So I can not carry in my car or I can be terminated immediately. Many districts have adopted this policy in the last few years. The gun is useless in the car anyways. By the time I ran out to the car got my gun and ran back the campus police would be at the school if they weren't there already, at least in my school district. Response times are very fast and the campus police practice often.

Of course 3 minutes is a lifetime in a situation like the one in Connecticut. Plus I couldn't leave the kids alone in the classroom and I would probably get shot by the officers responding if they saw me in the hallway with a firearm. It would be better if the teachers could carry and take up a defensive position in their classrooms behind locked doors while law enforcement sweeps the school for the shooter. Moving students out of the classroom in an active shooter situation is a bad idea, especially if they are little kids. They are hard to move fast and get frightened easily.

Also even if they pass a law allowing chls in schools I still think most districts would have grounds for termination clauses in employee contracts. So maybe the parents will be able to get around it but I don't think the staff will. If anything they will hire more LEOs and beef up security. The education system has strict no gun policies.