Dr Candice McQueen
While Tennessee has made several efforts in recent years to promote student safety and prepare schools for potential threats, Governor Haslam took further action in March 2018 by convening a School Safety Working Group that recommended a statewide review of school facilities and safety procedures and precautions. These recommendations were swiftly accepted by the governor, which led to the first statewide individual school safety assessments that rated each school on 89 safety standards and was overseen by the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security, in coordination with the Department of Education and local school officials.
To support this work, the 2018 Tennessee General Assembly approved $25 million in one-time funding for schools to address vulnerabilities and risks and $10 million in recurring grant funding for ongoing safety and prevention programs.
Moving forward, the department has identified five key actions to address the challenges identified during the review of safety data. They are:
• Identify priorities for supporting districts and schools.
• Revise EOP and drill log templates to enhance planning and improve documentation.
• Create options for delivering training and guidance that provide flexibility and build local capacity.
• Monitor grant spending and results to identify promising practices.
• Integrate safety planning requirements into the school approval process.
