MSCS superintendent, MPD chief, sheriff emphasize teachers won't be carrying guns in schools

In April, Tennessee passed a law that would allow some teachers to carry concealed guns in public K-12 schools. But the law doesn’t immediately guarantee teachers the right to have a firearm in the classroom. To carry a gun in school, a teacher must, among other things, get approval from their local law enforcement agency, their principal, and their school district.

Memphis-Shelby County Schools has already made it clear it won’t give this green light. In response to the bill, the MSCS board passed a resolution prohibiting school employees from carrying firearms on school grounds on April 30.

And this week, the district reiterated its position, with help from local law enforcement.

'United on this issue'

In a video, MSCS superintendent Marie Feagins, Ed.D., interim Memphis Police Chief Cerelyn "C.J." Davis, and Shelby County sheriff Floyd Bonner asserted trained security officers should be the ones overseeing school safety.

“Schools are for learning, and emergency situations should be handled by officers who have been trained to handle them,” Bonner said, in the video.

Feagins emphasized that MSCS will “not allow teachers to carry guns in our schools,” and Davis made it clear they saw eye-to-eye on this.

“We are united on this issue,” she said in the video.

Added Bonner:

“And we are united in our plans to continue to work together to ensure our children have a safe and positive learning environment.”

Why pass this law?

The law does require teachers to receive some training before they can carry a gun on campus. Getting approval from their school, district, and law enforcement is only one hurdle they must clear. To be armed, they must also complete 40 hours of basic training in school police, undergo a background check, get an enhanced handgun carry permit, and receive a psychological or psychiatric certification.

Republican lawmakers who supported the measure argued that trained staff could increase school security, particularly in rural areas where law enforcement agencies may be more sparsely staffed and have longer response times. Last year, the General Assembly funded school resource officer positions at all Tennessee schools. But staffing issues have complicated hiring for those positions ― and nearly 600 schools don’t have an SRO in place.

Democratic lawmakers and education leaders, however, have denounced the legislation, expressing skepticism that a teacher with a gun could effectively stop an active shooter, and citing concern for potential unintended consequences. Under the law, parents and most school staff will not be told who in the school has a weapon, or where it might be stored. There are also no safe storage requirements in the bill.

Feagins spoke out against the bill before it had even been signed into law.

“I will not make decisions or approve decisions that do not serve in the best interest of kids and families,” she said during a Q&A session on April 16. “I think meeting… general threats to an environment, with another threat to an environment is not something that we want to participate in. … When we think about securing our buildings, we currently have officers who are professionally trained. They take part in the highest level of trainings and development consistently.”

John Klyce covers education and children's issues for The Commercial Appeal. You can reach him at John.klyce@commercialappeal.com.

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Memphis schools, law enforcement speak out against guns in schools