SHELBY COUNTY, Tenn. — Classrooms in Tennessee could soon look a lot different as the move to arm teachers in school just needs the governor’s signature to become law.
Gov. Lee has indicated he supports the general idea, but there’s still a lot to be settled before the plan goes into practice.
A district's Director of Schools, the school principal and the chief of a local law enforcement agency must sign off on a staff member's authority to carry a concealed weapon after training.
“It's just not something that teachers want to do. It's nothing we were trained for. If we wanted to be in the gun carry business, we’d have gone into law enforcement. We are not into that business. We are in the learning and teaching business, not transmitting violence,” said Keith Williams, Executive Director of the Memphis Shelby County Education Association.
Many unanswered questions remain about how the plan would actually work, such as how and where the gun would be stored, when a teacher would be authorized to use the weapon, and if school districts can manage the liability and insurance complications.
“This is not the institution by which we enforce violence or foster it in any way. We transmit culture,” Williams said. “I’ve talked to a number of teachers and no one wants any part of that.”
School administrators could theoretically block any teacher from being armed on campus. Concerns over a child’s ability to access an unattended weapon also remain. Beth Gebhard's children survived the Covenant school shooting last year, and she’s started a campaign to get Gov. Lee to veto the bill.
“It's not just frustrating, it's appalling. It feels like we're living in some type of dystopia. This is not representative [of the state],” Gebhard said.
Some are in favor of the proposal. West Tennessee educator Joe Murray sees it as a common sense measure that will keep students and classrooms safer.
“I do believe there is a moral imperative for these school districts to at least consider this. I understand there are many things at play here, but when it comes to school shootings, this is an epidemic, and we need the ultimate deterrence,” he said.
Schools do have to opt in to the plan, and MSCS Superintendent Dr Marie Feagins has already announced the district will not be participating.
Lakeland School District also said on Wednesday they’re taking no position on the bill at this time. The plan does not require schools to notify parents when teachers and staff are bringing guns to campus.