MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Gov. Bill Lee launched a School Safety Toolkit for Tennessee Families, one that provides parents with tips and best practices to help them respond to emergency situations and school safety threats.
The concern for school safety has grown, especially after the Uvalde mass shooting in May that took the lives of 19 elementary age children and two teachers.
The attack was yet another mass shooting in the U.S. that made parents and students across the nation more cautious, and a little more fearful.
Shortly after the mass shooting, Gov. bill Lee began to look for ways to improve school safety for students attending schools in Tennessee and for solutions that would give Tennessee parents peace of mind.
In the toolkit, parents can find tips that will help them, and their children, prepare for safety threats. The kit advises parents to use the free SafeTN app to report suspicious activity or suspected threats to security.
The toolkit also instructs families to get familiar with school leadership and mental health resources that are available in the community.
The Tennessee Department of Education, Safety and Homeland Security and the Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services worked together to create the toolkit.
Before the release of the toolkit, every Tennessee School district was required to submit an updated School Safety Plan following a template that was provided. School districts were also provided with school safety training resources.
Tennessee schools also underwent surprise school safety checks to make sure schools were locking doors and taking necessary safety precautions to prevent security threats.
