Gov. Bill Lee To Propose Plan To Put Armed Guard In Every Tennessee School

Governor Bill Lee, a Republican from Tennessee, is set to propose a plan that would equip every public and private school in the state with the necessary resources to hire armed guards, following a mass shooting at a Nashville Christian elementary school earlier this week. Lee’s proposal would involve placing an armed school resource officer (SRO) in every public school and allocating funds to private schools to hire armed guards with the same level of training. Private schools, however, will not be required to participate in the program.

Lee, who stated that it is our obligation to protect our children, said he would work over the weekend to ensure his plan gets schools the necessary funding and resources to enhance security. According to his proposed budget earlier this year, $20 million would be provided for schools to use on security upgrades; he, however, intends to increase this funding to incorporate private schools as well.

Furthermore, Marsha Blackburn and Bill Hagerty, Tennessee Republican Senators, are planning to introduce the SAFE School Act at the federal level. This act will allocate a $900 million grant to public and private schools to train and employ veterans and former law enforcement officers as school safety officers.

In addition, Lee’s plan also includes seeking more mental health support through school-based behavioral health liaisons in light of the recent tragedy at Covenant, where a trans-identifying woman killed three adults and three 9-year-old children. Lee’s proposal to reinforce school security comes after hundreds of protesters stormed the Tennessee state Capitol, calling for gun control. Nonetheless, while the governor did not specifically mention gun control measures, he did comment on the need to deny access to firearms to individuals who were a threat to themselves or others.