Tennessee Governor Signs Executive Order to Enhance School Safety and Evaluate Law Enforcement Training Standards

Tennessee Governor Bill Lee (R) issued Executive Order 97 on Monday to further enhance school safety across the state and promote engagement with parents, schools, and law enforcement.

“Parents need to have full confidence that their children are safe at school, and thankfully, Tennessee has built a firm foundation with our practical approach to securing schools, recognizing crisis, and providing confidential reporting of any suspicious activity,” said Gov. Lee. “This order strengthens accountability and transparency around existing school safety planning and assures Tennessee parents that our efforts to protect students and teachers will continue.”

The EO is aimed to hold schools accountable for safety measures. According to the news release, the new EO will require each public school to conduct an annual school security assessment and submit a school safety plan to the Tennessee school safety center. This will include the designation of the district’s ‘one entrance policy’ and multiple points of exit for school safety matters.

For law enforcement, there will be an evaluation and assessment of their training standards and enhancements to existing training for active-shooter scenarios. They are also required to provide a report to Governor Lee, no later than July 1, 2022, with recommendations to expand its availability to local law enforcement agencies and related education stakeholders.

You can read the full news release here.

Watch the report from WKRN News 2: