NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — House Majority Leader William Lamberth choked on his words.
"Mrs. Kinney, I know you're watching. That bill is for William," the Republican from Portland said.
William Kinney was the line leader of his third grade classroom on March 27 — the day of The Covenant School mass shooting.
The fire alarm went off inside The Covenant School. The haze from the gunshots had triggered the fire alarm, but Kinney's class was unaware there was an active shooter in the building. As protocol, kids line up at the door and head out first. The teacher is last and sweeps the room.
They were out of the classroom when the shooter encountered them. Mary Joyce — a speaker for William's mom, Erin — explained what William went through in House committees this week.
The House passed a bill this special session that would change that protocol. It would mandate schools come up with a safety plan that would differentiate the alarm system for emergencies. If passed, all schools — public, charter, private church-related — would have to implement a plan by January 2024. A fiscal note for the bill said it wouldn't be a significant expense for schools.
"Stop and evaluate," Lamberth said. "That's what this bill sets up. This came directly from the conversations of loved ones of violent crime. We met with law enforcement in Sumner County. They explained the protocol and how teachers and substitutes are taught so you don't have hallways full of children and requires that there be a procedure for that."
One lawmaker got emotional on the House floor: Rep. Justin Pearson, D-Memphis. He said this wasn't taking into consideration the causation for differing alarms.
"I am concerned we are getting children ready to face mass violence in their school to prevent the violence from getting to the schoolhouse door in the first place," Pearson said. "They are not preventative and they are preparation. We are preparing for the next tragedy and the next victims of children because of inaction, and this is the best we can do is prepare our kids. We are in a terrible position to prepare for the next tears that will be shed."
It's not clear what will happen to this bill since the Senate has closed committees and never did anything with this bill.
If the Senate doesn't pick it up, this bill will lay on the table until January.
