Tennessee Governor Bill Lee announced Wednesday that the state is now accepting applications for grant funding from law enforcement agencies and schools in order to “further strengthen security at Tennessee schools.”
Nothing is more important than the safety of TN students & teachers.
We’ve made significant investments to secure schools, & applications are now open for two critical programs:
—$140M for armed SROs in public schools
—$54M for security upgrades at public & non-public schools pic.twitter.com/HUZ8zsU6yX— Gov. Bill Lee (@GovBillLee) June 21, 2023
The funding, divided into two grant programs, includes “significant funding to support placing a full-time, armed school resource officer (SRO) at every public school and make physical security improvements at public and non-public schools across Tennessee,” according to Lee’s office.
The Tennessee General Assembly passed the funds during this year’s legislative session as part of Lee’s FY23-24 budget. Lee initially proposed the grant funding one week after the school shooting at The Covenant School in Nashville that left six dead, as previously reported by The Tennessee Star.
The first of the two grants called the Statewide School Resource Officer Grant, includes $140 million to place a full-time, armed SRO at every Tennessee public school. Local law enforcement agencies are eligible to apply for this grant, which would provide up to $75,000 per year, per school in order to provide for SRO services.
The state’s second program, Public & Non-Public School Security Grants, dedicates “one-time funding to strengthen security at Tennessee schools, totaling $40 million for public schools and $14 million for non-public schools,” according to Lee’s office. Funding from these grants can be used to support a variety of school security efforts, including “improved physical security, emergency operations planning, violence prevention programs, conflict resolution and safety training for staff members.”
“Nothing is more important than making sure that Tennessee students and teachers return home from school safely each day,” Lee said in a statement. “This year, together with the General Assembly, we made significant investments to secure schools across Tennessee, and we’re now inviting local law enforcement agencies and schools to partner with us by applying for these historic funds.”
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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network.
Photo “Bill Lee” by Bill Lee.
While I stand staunchly against the special session called to look into red flag laws, I applaud this effort. The legislature and governor have provided an important school safety opportunity with this measure.