Governor Lee Announces School Safety Plan
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WDEF) – It’s been a week since six people, including three third graders, were killed in a mass shooting at The Covenant School in Nashville.
Today, Governor Bill Lee made his first public comments on this incident, as protests continued outside and within the Tennessee State Capitol.
Now as many Tennesseans are demanding some sort of action in response to the shooting, Governor Bill Lee announced his plan.
Governor Lee said, “First, I believe that we ought to have an armed security guard in every school in Tennessee.”
The proposal put forward by Governor Lee would be the first of its kind across the country.
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The Governor is proposing $140 million dollars go towards placing an armed guard in every school in Tennessee.
Governor Lee said, “With this funding we’re taking the burden off of teachers and school and districts. There is no excuse to not have a guard at every school.”
The Governor also announced two other new amendments to their legislative agenda.
He wants to establish a grant fund totaling nearly $30 million dollars that he says would help both public and private schools make security upgrades.
Additionally, the Governor is proposing $8 million dollars to go towards mental health resources to schools across the state.
Governor Lee said, “Double the amount of funding that we have for our school based mental health liaisons, so that we not only have one in every county, but that we have multiple in every county.”
These additions are being added to previous provisions of school safety legislation.
These included $30 million dollars in funding a Homeland Security agent in every Tennessee county to attempt stopping incidents from occurring.
They also are proposing a requirement that every school has to lock their exterior doors.
The whole agenda has a price tag of over $200 million dollars.
For many though, this is not close to enough action.
Three Democratic representatives, Gloria Johnson, Justin Pearson, and Justin Jones, were stripped of their committee assignments after disrupting a House session on Friday.
The Hamilton County Democratic Party says that they are facing an expulsion vote after rushing the floor with a bullhorn to demand stronger gun legislation.
Tennessee House Speaker Cameron Sexton said in part that quote, “We cannot let the actions of the three members to distract us from protecting our children.”
Still, numerous protestors gathered outside the Capitol today to voice their displeasure with what they perceive as a lack of action by the state government.
Governor Lee has not mentioned any actions on guns, but says there is still work to do.
Governor Lee said, “We all agree, that there is a serious conversation needed about school safety. It must begin with the recognition that we cannot control evil, but that we can do something.”
The Nashville Police Department revealed today that the shooter in last week’s massacre, Audrey Hale, had planned her attack for months and acted alone.
They say that they still haven’t determined a motive, as they and the FBI are still investigating.
