Nashville’s Elementary Schools to Lack SROs Despite $140 Million Allocation for Positions Statewide

Tennessee's other three largest cities will have SROs in all of their schools

Washington police officer Todd Foreman—a Washington High School Resource officer—walks the hallways at school at part of his duties in Washington, Pa. Foreman, a city patrolman and detective who started at the district in 2004, says that forging relationships with students helps avoid or de-escalate potential problems. Jim McNutt/Observer-Reporter via AP

Only one school district out of Tennessee’s four largest cities will not have SROs in every school this fall after the state legislature and Governor allocated $140 million for each district in the state to do so following the shooting at The Covenant School in March.

The shooting, which happened in Nashville, inspired the legislature and Governor Bill Lee, R, to sign school safety legislation that allocated $230 million for measures such as SROs, boosting physical security, and increasing mental health resources.

When students head back to the classroom in early August, only Nashville’s 45 middle and high schools will have SROs on duty, with two at each high school.

“Let me be totally clear,” Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) Chief Drake said in a press conference this week. “My commitment has never wavered. In fact, it’s even stronger for the 2023 school year as we prepare for more safety for our schools.”

Lee said not having SROs in every school was doing students and families a “disservice.”

“We worked with the General Assembly to pass a historic, overwhelmingly bipartisan school safety package, because nothing is more important than the safety of Tennessee students and teachers,” Lee said in a statement last week. “Any decision by local governments to not use every tool at their disposal is a disservice to parents and teachers who are counting on us. Like the vast majority of Tennesseans, I believe every public school should have access to an SRO without financial burden.”

Drake addressed the notion he and the Governor were at odds in his press conference, stating he maintains a good relationship with Lee.

“He understands what we’re doing with our resources,” Drake said. “He did say that he thought every school should have a school resource officer, and I don’t disagree, but he understands what staffing allows us to do. I think he feels comfortable with the plans that we put in place.”

What MNPD Says They Can Do

Drake said MNPD is applying for the maximum amount of funding available to Nashville of $3.37 million to fund all full-time SROs at the middle and high schools, which were previously only on a rotating basis in Nashville’s middle schools.

A school bus in Cookeville, Tenn., on March 4, 2020. Brett Carlsen/Getty Images

“The thing is, if we accepted [the full amount available] right now, we would have to have those positions filled by June 30, 2024, otherwise, we have to give it back,” Drake added. “We can’t accept funding if we don’t have those positions. The goal is to accept all we can now, the maximum amount, and then, you know, maybe the next grant will be able to apply for it.”

He said removing two officers from each high school was “not an option” because “quite frankly, some high schools are pretty violent.”

“Kids are violent, and they don’t care if you have a gun on your side,” he said. “They don’t care if you’re a principal or teacher. So we want to make sure we keep kids safe, and so the best practice is to have two in each high school.”

He added that MNPD is 170 officers short right now after the city added 50 more officers in its latest budget and around 60 in the training academy.

“We anticipate being fully staffed by 2024,” he said. “Once we’re fully staffed, we can begin moving officers into the elementary schools, and as we get that availability, we'll continue to do that. “

What Else MNPD Is Considering

Drake said in response to a question that he didn’t think the Davidson County Sheriff’s Office had the capacity at the moment, either, to contribute to adding SROs to Nashville’s schools.

“But even at that, they would have to be trained on how to deal with kids, how to be in schools,” he said. “We don’t want to cause any trauma, and so officers are well trained and want to make sure they have a good rapport moving forward, even with sheriff’s deputies.”

MNPD says they are continuing their “School Safety Initiative,” which began last school year, relative to elementary schools.

He said volunteer officers on overtime, which are not presently eligible for grant funding, will be joined by precinct-based officers, and Investigative Services Bureau personnel will patrol “a number of elementary school campuses.”

“Moreover, as an additional measure, precinct commanders have directed their on-duty personnel to provide an extra patrol presence around elementary schools,” the department said in a press release. “The MNPD’s goal is to ultimately have full-time SROs in elementary schools (more than 70 personnel) as additional officer positions are added, and those persons are hired and trained.”

Chief of Police John Drake delivers a press briefing at the entrance of The Covenant School on March 28, 2023 in Nashville, Tennessee. According to reports, three students and three adults were killed by the 28-year-old shooter on Monday. Photo by Seth Herald/Getty Images

CRASE (Civilian Response to Active Shooter Events) training will be conducted by MNPD instructors to all 8,500 Metro Nashville Public Schools staff over three days in August.

Other Urban School Districts Fully Staffing SROs

Meanwhile, Memphis-Shelby County Schools, which is the largest school district in the state—along with Knoxville and Chattanooga schools—will utilize the funding to add SROs to all of their schools. Rutherford County Schools, which is the fifth largest school district in the state, has already had SROs at every school for the past few years.

Knox County Schools, the third largest district, partners with the local sheriff’s office and Knoxville city police for coverage, according to Nashville’s Fox affiliate. The outlet said a spokesperson told them the school also has their own fleet of 100 armed security officers.

In Chattanooga, the Hamilton County School District plans to have an armed officer in every school. A school spokesperson says all school security positions are fully staffed.

Shelby County Schools in Memphis already have 128 of their own school security officers and also work with the Shelby County Sheriff’s Department to provide additional security at select schools, according to the District’s website.

The Tennessee legislature will meet next month in a special session to discuss public safety in Tennessee, particularly within the state’s public school system.