NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — A substitute teacher is calling for a change in district policy after the recent shooting at Antioch High School.
The substitute, who wanted to remain anonymous, said that substitutes at Metro Nashville Public Schools are not provided keys to lock classroom doors during emergencies, which he believes puts both teachers and students at risk.
"Do you think parents would be surprised that substitute teachers do not get a key to lock the door?" he asked. "I think they should be."
The teacher said he has been substituting in different classrooms for over five years and in different districts. He said all of the districts he's worked for have never given him a key.
Last Wednesday, he was in a classroom of seventh graders at a nearby school when the Antioch High School shooting occurred. He recalled being told to get his students in the classroom.
"They just said we are now on a lockdown. Start getting your kids in class and lock your doors," he said.
Terrified, he followed the lockdown instructions but quickly realized he didn’t have a key to lock the door.
"Eventually, somebody from the office came down and locked the door for me," he said. "At that point, I didn’t even know about what happened at Antioch High."
He admits that until this incident, he hadn’t considered the potential risks of not having access to a classroom key.
"There was a feeling I didn’t really know what to do," he said.
According to the substitute, the school’s policy requires someone from the school’s staff to lock the doors during emergencies.
"It puts the substitute teacher and kids in their class in a very dangerous situation," he said.
He suggested that substitutes be given temporary keys that are returned at the end of the school day.
The teacher hopes Metro Nashville Public Schools and other districts will reconsider this policy to enhance safety for everyone.
We reached out to Metro schools but haven’t heard back.
Do you have more information about this story? You can email me at aaron.cantrell@newschannel5.com
My friend and colleague Carrie Sharp had a lot of fun last week, on an adventure to a country more than three thousand miles away! She’s back now – sharing her Adventures in Iceland through stories, and incredible images of this remarkably beautiful and unique island nation (kudos to Chief Photographer Catherine Steward)! But did you know Nashville has something very important in common with Iceland? Tourism! Here, Carrie explains how a volcanic eruption decades ago helped save the country’s economy from collapse!
-Rhori Johnston
