MEMPHIS, Tenn.– Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee is evaluating school safety throughout the state. He issued an executive order Monday, less than two weeks after a gunman shot and killed 19 students and two teachers in a Texas elementary school.
The executive order on school safety calls for the state to evaluate school security and training for Tennessee law enforcement and promote engagement with families.
Many people applaud Lee’s plan but say they still have many questions.
Memphis-Shelby County School Board Chair Michelle McKissack said the plan does have a missing link.
“We have all these measures in place saying we need to secure our campuses and our schools and guides for families and parents and what we should be doing, and law enforcement should be doing, but we have laws in Tennessee where you can carry without a permit? That’s a missing link,” McKissack said.
Lee’s plan calls on schools to implement simple practices, such as securing a single point of entry to the school and points of exit. Tennessee Representative Mark White of Memphis serves on the Education Administration Committee.
“We may have strict protocols in place for securing our buildings but asking the principals and teachers to make sure that our doors are not left propped open that somebody may do accidentally or left unattended. So, I think it never hurts to bring it back,” White said.
But how will the governor’s plans be funded and what role will teachers play? Keith Williams, executive director of the Memphis Shelby County Education Association, is concerned about how the executive order will impact teachers.
“How is it going to impact teachers? Will he use teachers to do anything about this behavior? You know, our hands are tied, and when teachers are getting shot, maimed, hurt, and killed in these schools, it’s almost a safety issue for everybody in the school,” Williams said.
It’s a safety issue that’s turning into a real-life survival lesson for students, educators, and parents, and one that now has the governor’s attention.
Democrats in the state senate are responding to the governor’s executive order.
Senator Raumesh Akbari of Memphis issued a statement saying, “Gun violence is now the leading cause of death for children in America. we are the only country in the world with a major political party that chooses to do nothing to stop gun violence from killing our kids.” She goes on to say, “Unfortunately, Governor Bill Lee’s executive order on school safety is more of the same. While I am again disappointed, I am not surprised. Taking action to reduce gun violence shouldn’t come down to party politics. This is a clear emergency, and we must act now.”