Tennessee teachers will be allowed to keep devices to barricade a door within their classroom, an update provided by fire officials to help educators plan for school safety emergencies.
The change is an effort to create greater flexibility and clarity to Tennessee educators about the items allowed in a building to keep classrooms safe, according to a Tennessee State Fire Marshal’s Office news release.
It comes after a slew of school shootings nationwide that have spurred Tennessee lawmakers and government officials question how to better school safety.
According to the release, inspectors will no longer issue citations for barricade devices so long as the devices are not attached to a door or used during an inspection.
Tennessee has made other school safety changes since the Parkland, Florida school shooting, one of several that occurred in the 2017-18 school year.
Gov. Bill Haslam put aside $30 million in next year’s budget to help improve school safety. His school safety task force also recommended every school go through a safety evaluation.
Teachers May Barricade Doors in Case of Emergencies
Jun 7, 2018 | 5:00 AM