NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — A bill that aims to better notify parents about school threats is now very close to becoming the law in Tennessee.
The legislation sponsored by Sen. Bill Powers (R-Clarksville) and House Speaker Cameron Sexton (R-Crossville) comes in response to a series of threats against schools statewide.
The bill requires school districts that report credible threats of violence or significantly disruptive behavior to law enforcement to notify parents within two days.
"I've talked to students in here all the time, and parents, they don't know what's going on at school,” Sexton said. “They don't know that this individual could have had three or four instances where they had to call the police or do something like that, potentially parents do not know, so part of the school system's requirements is going to be, if you have to call police to handle a situation that's a clear threat, not an SRO, but law enforcement, the parents should be made aware of that within 48 hours."
School districts would also have to report the number of incidents each quarter.
"At the end of the day, the parents have a right to know what's going on inside,” Sexton said. “I sit here with students all day long. They feel like they're not safe there because no one's communicating with them about what is happening. They hear all this information, but they never hear any closure."
The bill passed unanimously in the state House and Senate. It now sits on Gov. Bill Lee's desk awaiting his signature.