Where Middle Tennessee districts stand on allowing teachers to carry guns
Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee signed a measure into law Friday that allows some teachers and staff to carry guns at K-12 public schools, with several requirements in place.
Teachers and staff who wish to carry concealed handguns on campus must:
Maintain a valid Tennessee handgun carry permit
Undergo a background check and submit two sets of fingerprints to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation. The TBI is directed to determine the person's eligibility to carry a firearm and conduct a criminal history check within 30 days, in addition to forwarding the second set of fingerprints to the Federal Bureau of Investigation for a federal background check.
Receive psychological or psychiatric certification from a licensed health care provider
Complete 40 hours of basic training in school policing
Get a sign-off from the school district's director of schools, the school principal and the chief of the "appropriate" law enforcement agency
Read more: Tennessee lawmakers pass bill allowing teachers, school staff to carry concealed handguns
The law does not require districts or schools to disclose which people are carrying guns. Districts or principals can refuse to approve requests for teachers and staff to carry guns.
Gov. Bill Lee signed the measure into law Friday.
The Tennessean reached out to districts around Middle Tennessee asking if they plan to allow teachers or staff to carry guns under the new bill. Here's what they had to say.
From Knoxville: Knox County Schools leaders are reviewing whether to allow teachers and staff to carry guns
Cheatham County School District
Cheatham County School District spokesperson Tim Adkins provided the following statement on Monday:
"We will carefully review this legislation with all key stakeholders, including our school Board, our school Board attorney and law enforcement leaders. We are thankful and appreciative of our successful partnership with the Cheatham County Sheriff's Office. The Sheriff’s Office provides trained and armed school resource officers on each school campus. We are fortunate to have 16 SROs covering 13 schools."
Adkins also said the district has a "robust safety program" already in place and that it is committed to constantly improving school security.
Clarksville-Montgomery County School System
Clarksville-Montgomery County School System spokesperson Anthony Johnson said Monday that the district is awaiting guidance from the Tennessee Department of Education, State Board of Education, Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security and other agencies. He said the district does not plan to comment further until that guidance is received.
"In CMCSS, we have a strong partnership with the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO), and other law enforcement agencies, and have armed MCSO SROs in all our schools, with more than one in our larger schools, who provide guidance, support and security," Johnson said in an emailed statement on April 24. "We understand the uncertainty in the community around this bill and the mixed emotions of support and concern from families. As with all school safety laws, we will work in concert with MCSO and other law enforcement and emergency management agencies."
Dickson County School District
The Dickson County School District had not replied despite repeated requests for comment on the new law, as of Monday evening.
Franklin Special School District
Franklin Special School District Director David Snowden emailed families and staff on Thursday to address the legislation.
"The school board and I do not see any scenario where this initiative would enhance our already robust safety and security measures," part of his email read. "Additionally, we believe the risks associated with this legislation outweigh any perceived benefit for our schools."
Snowden also said the district has a strong partnership with the Williamson County Sheriff's Office and the Franklin Police Department, who oversee the district's school resource officers.
Lebanon Special School District
Lebanon Special School District Director Brian Hutto said in an email that the district has school resource officers in every school, along with a "healthy partnership" with local law enforcement.
"We also have an additional SRO and K9-Blaze, a dedicated DARE officer, and multiple layers of security measures," Hutto said. "We will not be arming teachers as our needs are already covered in our buildings."
Maury County Public Schools
Maury County Public Schools spokesperson Jack Cobb said that the district has school resource officers in each building and pointed to its "wonderful relationship" with the Maury County Sheriff's Office. He said Superintendent Lisa Ventura plans to work with the Maury County Public School Board and the district's attorney to review the legislation.
Metro Nashville Public Schools
Metro Nashville Public Schools spokesperson Sean Braisted said the district is not planning to change its existing policy on who can carry guns.
"We have a strong relationship with the Metro Nashville Police Department and agree that it is safest for only approved active-duty law enforcement officers to carry weapons on campus," Braisted said in an email. "This has been our consistent practice at MNPS, and we have no intention of changing it."
From Nashville: MNPS will not allow teachers to carry guns after bill passes
Murfreesboro City Schools
Murfreesboro City Schools Director Trey Duke sent an email to staff on Thursday morning that was later shared with parents. He assured staff and parents that safety is "always in the front of our minds."
"Our district is proud to have a team of highly skilled school resource officers in every school, a testament to our strong partnership with the Murfreesboro Police Department (MPD)," Duke wrote. "We want to reaffirm that it is not the intention of MCS leadership to permit faculty or staff to carry concealed handguns on school grounds. Our focus remains on providing a safe and secure environment for all students and staff through our efforts with the MPD and school safety team."
Robertson County Schools
A Robertson County Schools spokesperson shared a letter from Director Danny Weeks that explained its relationship with the Robertson County Sheriff's Office, the Tennessee Highway Patrol and the Department of Homeland Security. Each campus within the district also has a school resource officer, Weeks said, and has regular drills and reviews of its emergency and safety plans.
"With these things in mind, I simply do not believe it is in any of our best interests in Robertson County to arm educators at this time," Weeks wrote. "Our administrators, teachers and staff have many responsibilities as we daily seek to provide the best education we can to our students. Our administration has extremely high expectations for all staff in providing that education. A director of schools, I do not see blurring the line between education and law enforcement."
Covenant School parents lead the charge: More than 5,000 sign letter urging rejection of Tennessee's bill to arm teachers
Rutherford County Schools
Rutherford County Schools spokesperson James Evans shared a statement last week, citing the law's requirement to create a formal agreement between the district and local law enforcement.
"At this time, we do not see the need for this initiative in our schools," Evans wrote in an email Wednesday. "Rutherford County Schools already has an extensive school resource officer program, which includes at least one trained, armed deputy in all schools. We also have a robust safety program, which includes training for all employees and a number of other safety and security measures. While we don’t disclose all the details of our safety program to the public — because such information is sensitive and could be misused — we have invested heavily in providing and maintaining safe learning environments."
Sumner County Schools
Sumner County Schools Director Scott Langford explained the district's stance in a Facebook post and video on Wednesday.
"I have spoken with Sheriff (Sonny) Weatherford today and we agree: We will not arm teachers in Sumner County," Langford wrote in the post.
He cited the district's strong partnership with the Sumner County Sheriff's Office, which provides school resource officers for all their campuses. He also praised the district's school resource officer program, which he said is ranked first in the nation.
"Our teachers and principals carry tremendous responsibilities in teaching and supporting our students in the classroom," Langford wrote. "Our teachers and principals already play a critical role in school safety by ensuring that our safety procedures are followed in our school buildings daily. We do not want to add one more task or responsibility to them."
Langford's full statement and video can be found at facebook.com/SumnerSchools.
Williamson County Schools
In an email sent to district staff and families after Lee signed the bill into law, Williamson County Schools Director Jason Golden said he talked the law over with Williamson County Sheriff Jeff Hughes.
"We have concluded that teachers and staff carrying handguns will not improve school safety on WCS campuses, so I will not authorize teachers or staff being armed at WCS schools," Golden wrote. "The sheriff’s school resource officers who are assigned to every WCS school are trained professionals and are a vital part of our comprehensive school safety plans. We appreciate our ongoing partnership with the Williamson County Sheriff’s Office."
Read more: Williamson County Schools will not allow teachers to carry guns, despite new Tennessee law
Wilson County Schools
Wilson County Schools spokesperson Bart Barker Monday that said the district's director would address the matter at the upcoming Wilson County Board of Education on May 6.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Tennessee teacher gun law: Where Middle Tennessee districts stand
