One week after the school shooting at The Covenant School in Nashville that left six dead, Governor Bill Lee proposed additional actions to strengthen safety at public and private schools across Tennessee, including amending the budget for fiscal year 2023-2034 as well as an existing bill making its way through the state legislature.
During a press conference with state leaders on Monday, Lee stated that the amended legislation and budget is “the next step” but will not be the last, as there is “still much to do” in terms of keeping schools safe and secure.
One budget amendment Lee proposed includes $140 million for public schools to hire school resource officers and highly trained guards.
“With this funding we’re taking the burden off of teachers and schools and districts – there is no excuse to not have a guard at every school,” Lee stated.
Lee also proposed establishing a grant fund to make “significant physical security upgrades” at both public and private schools all across the state. In addition, Lee proposed an additional $8 million in funding for additional school-based behavioral health liaisons across the state.
Lee also spoke on his initial budget proposal of $30 million to expand a statewide homeland security network with 122 agents serving students at both public and private schools, saying that this plan would “prevent threats before they become tragedies.”
In terms of legislation, Lee proposed adding four new measures to the bill (HB322/SB274) aimed at enhancing school safety introduced at the start of the 2023 legislative session. These measures include:
- Enacting a multi-tiered accountability plan to ensure exterior school doors are locked while students are present;
- Requiring that private security guards are held to a high standard and receive active shooter training prior to being posted at Tennessee schools;
- Requiring every school district to establish threat assessment teams, when appropriate;
- Requiring 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.
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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network.
Photo “Bill Lee” by Gov. Bill Lee.
