Tennessee Republicans rolled out a $205 million school safety package Monday, one week after a shooter killed six at Nashville’s Covenant School.
The package includes funding to place an armed security guard at every Tennessee public school, boost physical school security at public and private schools, and provide additional mental health resources for Tennesseans, according to a news release from Governor Bill Lee’s office.
Lee’s initial budget proposal (outlined before the shooting) included $30 million for 122 Homeland Security agents for schools in every Tennessee county. Lee also highlighted school safety in his State of the State address in February.
“There is nothing more important than our students safely returning home each day,” Lee said in a statement Monday. “As Tennessee grieves the tragic loss of six precious lives in the Covenant shooting, we are taking additional actions to significantly boost safety measures at every school with highly-trained guards, physical security enhancements, and mental health resources.”
The new, enhanced legislation:
• Enacts a multi-tiered accountability plan to ensure exterior school doors are locked while students are present, with opportunities for corrective action. State and local law enforcement will be authorized to check for unlocked doors.
• Requires that private security guards are held to a high standard and receive active shooter training prior to being posted at Tennessee schools.
• Requires every school district to establish threat assessment teams, a nationally recognized best practice to ensure students are connected to support services and behavioral health professionals, when appropriate.
• Requires every public and private school to develop annual safety plans, which must include a newly required incident command drill for school leaders and law enforcement to prepare for what to expect in various emergencies.
The new bill’s budget includes:
• $30 million to expand a statewide homeland security network with 122 agents serving students at both public and private schools.
• $140 million to establish a School Resource Officer (SRO) grant fund to place a trained, armed security guard at every public school.
• $20 million for public school security upgrades.
• $7 million for private school security upgrades.
• $8 million for additional school-based behavioral health liaisons across the state.
“Hardening security at our public and private schools can no longer be just a priority, it is now an imperative,” said Senate Speaker Randy McNally (R-Oak Ridge).
