NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — In light of The Covenant School shooting, Lt. Gov. Randy McNally came out Thursday with his thoughts on bolstering school safety in a letter to Gov. Bill Lee.
"While much of my time has been spent in reflection and prayer about the horrific events, I have also thought deeply about what policies the state could adopt to prevent such events in the future," McNally wrote to Lee. "While these changes would with a cost, I believe it is important for us to have a conversation about how to increase and modernize security at schools in Tennessee."
Lee has not come out with any solutions of his own, nor spoke publicly since the shooting. He taped his thoughts in a pre-recorded message to Tennesseans. He has no public events this week.
More than likely, the Department of Education or some state department would have to calculate these costs for these suggestions. McNally said what he mentioned would come in the form of a budget amendment, which the House and Senate can continue to tinker with through voting on a final budget.
Here are his thoughts on what Tennessee should implement:
Security windows and glass in school buildings
McNally asked that a film be affixed to the windows and doors in schools that would be bulletproof or resistant.
Brink Fidler, of Defend Systems, was in charge of The Covenant School active shooter training and plan. He said it's not a complete fail safe, but could make a difference.
"Glass is always a weak point in any structure. There are products out there that can fix that. Several of which we have tested," he said. "There are definitely things that can fortify glass and prevent it from being penetrated. There's different levels, so there's levels that will stop bullets but then there are levels that don't stop bullets. You're not going to be able to force your way through it even after you shoot through it without a whole lot of time and tools."
Magnetic locks on door
McNally said keyed locks can cause delays in police response.
From the time of the 911 call until the police shot the shooter, 14 minutes had passed by.
McNally said they would be critical in keeping school shooters out.
Centralized and modernized camera systems
McNally said outfitting schools with security cameras could be key.
He said police would be able to access and identify the location. Most schools have cameras outside their front doors to know who is coming and going and now have to be buzzed inside the building.
In the 911 calls released Thursday, one caller identified where the shooter was in the building and what floor the gunman was shooting.
Armed guards
School Resource Officers became a needed commodity in the wake of the Sandy Hook shooting in 2012. Several school districts and bills floated through the Tennessee legislature at the time to ensure stricter school safety.
Right now, HB1456 is sitting on Lee's desk waiting for a signature. This bill from Rep. Jeremy Faison, R-Cosby, would authorize a private school to use local law enforcement as security via a contract. If it goes 10 days on the desk without a veto, it will immediately become law.
"If we can ensure that all schools — public and private — have armed guards, we may be able to cut down on these events significantly."
On Monday, March 27, six people were shot and killed by a gunman at The Covenant School.
Police received the 911 call for the shooting at 10:13 a.m. Within 14 minutes, Metro Police were able to take down the shooter, 28-year-old Audrey Hale.
Hale gained access to the building through a side door that they shot through. From there, the shooter went upstairs and shot at police through the windows.
Two members of an officer team fired on Hale. Those two officers are officer Rex Englebert, a four-year MNPD veteran, and officer Michael Collazo, a nine-year MNPD veteran.
Who died in the shooting?
- Evelyn Dieckhaus, 9
- Hallie Scruggs, 9
- William Kinney, 9
- Cynthia Peak, 61
- Katherine Koonce, 60
- Mike Hill, age 61
The shooter was a 28-year-old Nashvillian who lived in the Belmont-Hillsboro neighborhood.
