New Legislation Could Make Tennessee Schools Safer

The Tennessee General Assembly is just a few weeks away from convening in Nashville. One of the bills being proposed for the legislative session could assist with keeping your child safe in school. Two republican lawmakers from Middle Tennessee say they will introduce a bill that would allow a school district to implement a technology alert system which would allow school officials and law enforcement to respond quickly to threats. That would happen with new technology that is as simple as the press of a button.

When a teacher presses the button, the new device would contact emergency first responders as well as school administrators so they could know the exact emergency happening inside a classroom immediately. This alert would include video and audio inside the classroom and GPS tracking technology to aide law enforcement upon their arrival. Lawmakers envision the system being used in the case of a discipline problem with a student, a medical emergency, or an active shooter situation. Under the proposed legislation, schools would be able to have a vendor of their choice install the system. The state would pay for up to $300 per unit to each school that wants the system. If the unit is more than $300, the district would have to pay the extra cost.

Democrats say the bill doesn’t go far enough as it does not include anything pertaining to gun safety.