After Tennessee law, will Memphis-area schools allow guns in classroom? What they said

On April 9, the Tennessee Senate passed legislation that would allow some teachers to carry concealed guns in public K-12 schools. Then, on April 23, the bill was passed by the Tennessee House, and on April 26, Gov. Bill Lee signed it into law.

But the law doesn’t immediately guarantee teachers the right to have a firearm in the classroom. To carry a gun in school, a teacher must, among other things, undergo a background check, receive a psychological or psychiatric certification, and complete 40 hours of basic training in school policing. They also must get approval from the chief of their local law enforcement agency, their principal, and their school district.

And this isn’t a greenlight many Memphis education leaders seem eager to provide.

The Commercial Appeal reached out to school districts in the Mid-South to get their thoughts about the law, and whether they’d consider allowing teachers to have guns in the classroom.

Here’s what they said.

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Memphis-Shelby County Schools

Even before it had been signed into law, Memphis-Shelby County Schools superintendent Marie Feagins, Ed.D., spoke out against the bill and implied she wouldn’t let teachers carry guns on campus.

“I will not make decisions or approve decisions that do not serve in the best interest of kids and families,” she said during a Q&A session on April 16. “I think meeting… general threats to an environment, with another threat to an environment is not something that we want to participate in. … When we think about securing our buildings, we currently have officers who are professionally trained. They take part in the highest level of trainings and development consistently.”

Her words were backed up on Tuesday evening by the actions of the MSCS board, which passed a resolution prohibiting school employees from carrying firearms on school grounds.

Collierville Schools

Collierville Schools, like MSCS, noted its usage of trained officers to protect students. And though the district didn’t condemn the law, it also noted that it doesn’t plan to let teachers carry guns on campus.

Jen Hannah, the public information officer for Collierville Schools, provided the following statement:

“The safety of our students is our first priority. We are grateful for our strong partnerships with both the Collierville Police Department and the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office, who provide the professionally-trained school resource officers who are present at every school, every day. Additionally, the district continues to invest in ongoing enhancements to the security measures at all of our schools. At this time, there are no plans to authorize employees to carry handguns on school grounds.”

Bartlett City Schools

Bartlett City Schools didn’t explicitly say it would refuse to let teachers carry concealed guns in the classroom. But it did emphasize the presence of law enforcement officers in its schools and said that it would continue relying on them going forward.

Jason Sykes, the district’s communications, transportation, volunteer, and community outreach supervisor, provided the following statement:

“The safety of our students and staff remains our top priority. We work closely with the Bartlett Police Department, Shelby County Sheriff’s Office, and our own security teams. We will continue to rely on these officers and partnerships to help guide us on all matters of school safety. We are fortunate to have armed (school resource officers) present in each school on a daily basis.”

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Germantown Municipal School District

The Germantown Municipal School District noted safety measures that have already been taken. Spokesperson Kate Crowder explained that the district has invested in bullet-repellent window coverings, secure entrances, “high-powered” security cameras monitored by local law enforcement, and door prop alarms and badge readers on all exterior doors.

She also said that district staff complete annual training sessions with the Germantown Fire Department paramedics and the Germantown S.W.A.T. team ― and that there are trained security officers in the schools.

With these officers already in place, the district doesn’t see a need for arming teachers, and it has no plans to do so.

“Every Germantown Municipal School has at least one highly trained, armed School Resource Officer dedicated to their building, seamlessly integrating into potential law enforcement responses,” Crowder said. “Due to the fact that these officers are specially trained to handle potential threats, Germantown Municipal Schools will not be arming additional personnel.”

Arlington Community Schools

Arlington Community Schools said it’s still examining the law and the impact it could have. Tyler Hill, the district’s director of communications and planning, provided the following statement:

“We are reviewing the law and its potential impact on school districts in Shelby County. As required by the new law, the local law enforcement agency, superintendent and the school’s principal must approve a staff member’s authority to carry a concealed handgun on campus. Conversations among these entities must occur before we’ll know the full impact of the law locally in Arlington.”

What’s the reason for the law?

Republican lawmakers who supported the measure argued that trained staff could increase school security, particularly in rural areas where law enforcement agencies may be more sparsely staffed and have longer response times. Last year, the General Assembly funded school resource officer positions at all Tennessee schools. But staffing issues have complicated hiring for those positions ― and nearly 600 schools don’t have an SRO in place.

Democratic lawmakers, however, have denounced the law, expressing skepticism that a teacher with a gun could effectively stop an active shooter, and citing concern for potential unintended consequences. Under the law, parents and most school staff will not be told who in the school has a weapon, or where it might be stored. There are also no safe storage requirements in the bill.

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Will Memphis school districts allow guns in classroom? What they said