In the MNPD’s continued planning and strong commitment toward school safety, as directed by Chief John Drake, the department is finalizing a state grant request for at least $3.375 million to help fund school resource officers (SROs) in the 45 Nashville public middle and high schools that have fulltime SRO positions in the 2023-24 school year.
The new state grant program allows for law enforcement agencies to apply for a $75,000 grant for each public school that will be staffed with a fulltime SRO in the upcoming school year. In Nashville’s case, the MNPD’s 60 SROs will be staffing 45 middle and high schools (the comprehensive high schools, due to their size, are staffed with two SROs each). The MNPD continues to be in contact with the state to ensure that the department will receive the maximum grant dollars for which it qualifies in regard to the school year that begins in August.
The MNPD will be continuing its School Safety Initiative, begun during the 2022-23 school year, relative to elementary schools. Volunteer officers on overtime (presently not eligible for grant funding), joined by precinct-based officers and Investigative Services Bureau personnel, will be keeping an eye on a number of elementary school campuses. Moreover, as an additional measure, precinct commanders have directed their on-duty personnel to provide an extra patrol presence around elementary schools. The MNPD’s goal is to ultimately have fulltime SROs in elementary schools (more than 70 personnel) as additional officer positions are added and those persons are hired and trained.
CRASE (Civilian Response to Active Shooter Events) training for some 8,500 Metro Nashville Public Schools staff, conducted by two dozen MNPD instructors, is set to take place over a three-day period in early August.
The MNPD-sponsored School Safety Summit, specifically designed for and open to those responsible for the safety of students in a school setting, is scheduled for July 17-19 at Christ Presbyterian Church in Nashville. Anyone in the mid-state with specific school safety responsibilities can register for the summit by emailing [email protected].