During the 2023 regular and special legislative sessions, additional funding and requirements for school security were passed. Key changes include new state funding, enforcement of requirements for locked school doors, annual school safety plans, mandatory creation of threat assessment teams, new safety drills, security guard training, and the inclusion of private schools (including church-related schools) for some of the new funding and security requirements.
In addition to providing more than $240 million in new funding, the legislature also enacted new requirements with the goal of helping students stay safe and making schools more secure.
Key changes highlighted in the brief include:
- Funding improvements passed during both the regular and special 2023 legislative sessions that include new state dollars for school resource officers, school security improvement grants for both public and nonpublic schools, more school-based behavioral health liaisons assigned to public schools, and more Homeland Security agents who can assist with school security assessments, threat assessments, and emergency response plans.
- Requirements for locked school doors with new penalties for school violations.
- Requirements for safety plans (also known as emergency operation plans) to be submitted by public schools annually, rather than every five years, and by private schools (including church-related schools) as well.
- Mandatory requirements for school districts to establish threat assessment teams.
- Revisions to active shooter training requirements for licensed armed security guards at public or private schools.
Wayne County Director of Schools Dr. Ricky Inman explained how these new measures will be implemented at Wayne County schools.
“The state is now funding an SRO for each school,” said Dr. Inman. “The Sheriff’s office receives the funding. Wayne County Schools can have as many as eight SROs, but staffing is an issue. At this time, there are three full-time SROs with another candidate currently in training.”
Public and private schools are now required to ensure that school entrances remain locked at all times, with limited exceptions. Inspections by law enforcement and penalties for violations are prescribed for public schools. New security features are required for any public schools constructed or remodeled after July 2023.
“Wayne County received an additional $83,000 for safety upgrades for the buildings,” said Dr. Inman. “We plan to upgrade security cameras, add window coverings for external doors and windows, upgrade and repair existing entrances, and provide ID badges for all employees.”
Emergency Operation Plans (EOPs) are now required, and both public and private schools must review and submit them annually to designated law enforcement and/ or state authorities. (Public schools were previously on a five-year submission cycle.) The leadership of the Statelevel Safety Team, which develops the EOP templates that public schools are required to use, has shifted from the Tennessee Department of Education to the Department of Safety.
School districts, which previously were authorized to establish threat assessment teams, are now required to do so. The purpose of these teams is to identify and assess potential threats and to intervene to prevent violence and foster a safe, supportive, and effective school environment. The teams, which must include local law enforcement as well as school district staff, now have broader reporting requirements that include state authorities in addition to local boards of education.
Revised training requirements now mandate active shooter training for any licensed armed security guards at public or private schools. Private schools must conduct an armed intruder drill annually, as public schools already do, and public and private schools must begin annual incident command drills and emergency bus drills.
Dr. Inman went on to state, “At the beginning of the year, we contracted with Defend Systems for school safety. Every building-level employee was required to attend. Attendees were given hands-on training for advanced first-aid.”
These school safety measures are a true reflection of the day and age we live in. Protecting our children while they are at school has become a bigger priority than ever before, and these new measures will hopefully create safer school environments for students.
