WCS, FSSD, MNPS say 'no' to arming teachers after new law signed by governor

School districts across Tennessee are responding to a new law that allows public school teachers to carry guns, with Williamson County Schools, Franklin Special School District and Metro Nashville Public Schools saying “no” to arming teachers.

The controversial law was signed by Gov. Bill Lee on Friday after weeks of protests from students, educators and parents at the state Capitol. On Saturday, dozens of protesters marched to the Governor's Mansion.

“We have concluded that teachers and staff carrying handguns will not improve school safety on WCS campuses, so I will not authorize teachers or staff being armed at WCS schools,” WCS Superintendent Jason Golden said in a statement.

“The sheriff’s school resource officers (SROs) who are assigned to every WCS school are trained professionals and are a vital part of our comprehensive school safety plans.”

Williamson County Sheriff Jeff Hughes issued his own statement in which he said that he respects Golden's position and pledged to continue to prioritize school safety.

“Fortunately, in Williamson County, we are blessed to have a school resource officer in every public school,” Hughes said. “As sheriff, the safety of our teachers and students is paramount, and their safety will continue to be my priority. I will uphold the law as it is written, and I will continue to work collaboratively [with] our school superintendents and principals to this regard.”

FSSD Director of Schools David Snowden also signaled his opposition to the law.

“The school board and I do not see any scenario where this initiative would enhance our already robust safety and security measures,” Snowden said in a statement. “Additionally, we believe the risks associated with this legislation outweigh any perceived benefit for our schools.”

MNPS told The News sister publication Nashville Scene that they have “no intention” of changing their school safety policy in regard to the law.

“We have a strong relationship with the Metro Nashville Police Department and agree that it is safest for only approved active-duty law enforcement officers to carry weapons on campus,” an MNPS spokesperson said.

In 2022, The News, then known as the Williamson Home Page, was given exclusive access to an active shooter training scenario inside Nolensville High School. 

As part of that story, we interviewed Williamson County Schools director of safety and security Michael Fletcher. When asked about the idea of potentially arming teachers, Fletcher said it would be “an inherently complex issue that would take an immense amount of time, money, training and policy to bring that to a place in which it was even remotely safe to do."

“I think it's easy to say, and it's very difficult to do,” Fletcher said, adding then that he believed that such an action, following any legislation, should be a “community decision."

Retiring District 65 state Rep. Sam Whitson (R-Franklin) was one of the few Republicans to vote against the bill, telling The News that he understood the support for the legislation in some rural communities that, unlike public schools in Williamson County, may not be able to consistently or completely fund SROs, adding that he thinks the law will see limited implementation across the state.

"I think there's a lot of guardrails in it, but my real concern is if there's a budget crunch, we may see schools dropping the SROs to save money and encouraging teachers to be armed," Whitson said. "I vote for my district, and my district, I felt, had serious concerns about [the bill]. 90 percent of the emails and calls we got asked us to vote against it."

Some right-wing organizations like the Williamson County chapter of Mom's For Liberty and Tennessee Stands have expressed disappointment in the district's positions on the law.

While the law will have no immediate change or impact in Williamson, Davidson or numerous other Tennessee counties, that could one day change as the makeup of school boards evolve, especially since school board elections are now partisan.

“Alas, elections are forthcoming,” Tennessee Stands said in a statement. “It would be beneficial to hear a position statement from candidates running for school board on this issue. For those concerned about this issue and desiring a different outcome, the school board has the power to make a change. The superintendent works for them.”

WCS District 5 board member Jennifer Aprea, who is running for reelection this year as an independent, told The News that she is “relieved” that Williamson County will continue to rely on SROs and not move to arm teachers.

Aprea, who was not speaking on behalf of the entire school board, said that she is concerned that some future school board candidates could work to oust Golden, who she described as being “level-headed, calm and logical,” which could pave the way for one day allowing armed teachers in WCS.

“It concerns me to think that our public schools could become like a political battleground,” Aprea said. 

For some Williamson County community members, the schools have been just that, from debates and threats over Covid policies to attempts to ban Pride flags and lawsuits over “obscene” books.

Aprea said that she received more than 100 emails last week from constituents who said that they did not want to see armed teachers.

“It was compelling to see the number of parents that we don't typically hear from writing in to say, please opt out, this isn't what's best for our kids,” Aprea said, adding that she only received two emails from constituents in favor of the new law.

“I think it's pretty clear just watching how things went down in this [legislative] session that parents aren't really in favor of this type of legislation.”