CENTEGIX | Education
Tennessee School Safety Standards
CENTEGIX | Education
Tennessee School Safety Standards
Evacuate or Lockdown—What is the Right Response to a Fire Alarm?
In the event of a fire, it’s critical to move quickly to evacuate the building. In an active shooter scenario, staying behind locked doors and out of sight is the protocol. A fire alarm activated erroneously can put people directly in harm’s way.
With CENTEGIX, school leaders can immediately notify everyone on campus which procedure to follow for the safest outcome.
Download our guide to learn more about how Tennessee districts can achieve HB 1644/SB 1679 compliance with our safety solutions.
CENTEGIX Innovates School Safety with Silent Panic Alarm Demonstration in Partnership with Clinton City Schools
Clinton City Schools reaffirms its commitment to prioritizing school safety by partnering with CENTEGIX to implement silent panic alarms. On February 14, 2024, a demonstration of the technology, held at Clinton Elementary School, provided an insightful glimpse into the rapid response of CENTEGIX CrisisAlert™, which teachers or administrators can activate via their wearable panic buttons.
Clinton Schools Using New Technology to Improve Safety
At Clinton Elementary School, staff can use a school-wide alert system through the CENTEGIX CrisisAlert badge.
Tennessee School Safety Solutions
The Tennessee government understands the need to make school safety a state priority. Tennessee school alert systems and other tools are designed to protect students and staff. Learn more about these solutions and how they meet Tennessee school safety standards below. Then connect with a CENTEGIX specialist to learn more about the CrisisAlert wearable solution and how it can help keep your staff and students safe.
School Safety Toolkit
In June 2022, Gov. Bill Lee signed an executive order to create a School Safety Toolkit to:
- Direct state agencies to help school districts implement existing school safety laws, including regular security audits.
- Provide parents with information on how to advocate for school safety, report suspicious behavior, access mental health resources, and help ensure school building security.
The safety kit includes the free SafeTN app, so threats and safety concerns at schools can be reported anonymously. All tips and concerns are sent to law enforcement.
The Tennessee Mental Health Crisis Hotline is available 24/7 and 365 days a year. The number is (855) CRISIS-1.
WARNING SIGNS
The School Safety Toolkit for Tennessee Families includes signs that someone could cause harm at school:
- social withdrawal
- excessive feelings of isolation and being alone
- excessive feelings of rejection
- being a victim of violence
- feelings of being persecuted
- low school interest and poor academic performance
- uncontrolled anger
- patterns of impulsive and chronic hitting, intimidating, and bullying behaviors
- history of discipline problems
- history of violent and aggressive behavior
- intolerance for differences and prejudicial attitudes
- use of drugs and alcohol
- affiliation with gangs
- serious threats of violence
If a student displays some of these signs, it doesn’t necessarily mean the child will commit acts of violence. However, they can suggest that the student needs help.
The Behavior Health Safety Net for Children provides outpatient mental health services for ages three to seven. There are no limits on family income for eligibility.
In addition, Mental Health 101 is an early intervention program for middle and high school students across Tennessee. Mental health professionals visit more than 120 schools each year.
Learn more here.
Schools Against Violence in Education (SAVE) Act
When Tennessee passed the Schools Against Violence in Education (SAVE) Act, it provided a state-level team to help school districts develop and implement a comprehensive school safety planning strategy.
All school districts are required to work with parents and emergency response agencies to create emergency operations plans (EOPs) to be submitted to the Tennessee School Safety Center. EOPs should include:
- parent notification plan
- plan for relocating and releasing students
- designated primary and alternate evacuation routes
- planning for school-sponsored events, field trips, bus emergencies, and on-site and off-site command posts
Under the SAVE act, grant funds are available from the School Safety Center to help districts develop their plans.
Learn more about the act here.
Executive Order 97: ESSR Funds
Executive Order 97, which was signed by Gov. Lee, directs the Department of Education to request permission to use existing ESSER funds to conduct safety assessments that would identify the need for facility upgrades necessary to enhance building security and safety.
The order also directs the state education officials to identify regional staff that can be repurposed to focus on safety, mental health, and family and community engagement.
Learn more here.
Safe Schools Act
Tennessee school safety solutions include the Safe Schools Act, which makes funds available to limit violent and disruptive behavior. Public school districts can use those funds for
- facility security and planning
- school safety personnel
- violence prevention
- training and drills
- behavioral health
Up to $20 million was available to be dispersed to different schools in 2021 and 2022. The 2023 amount hasn’t been set.
Learn more about the Safe Schools Act grant here.
The School Safety Act of 2018
When The School Safety Act of 2018 was passed, it gave off-duty police officers the opportunity to work in state schools. The law also required participating law enforcement agencies to assess school safety and report back to the legislature.
Learn more about the bill here.
School Security Assessment
Additional Tennessee school safety standards will go into effect on July 1. The Tennessee School Safety Center will be tasked with developing and evaluating training materials related to safety issues, including
- behavior
- discipline
- violence prevention
Officials at the center will collect and analyze school safety data and make regular reports to the education committee of the Senate and the education administration committee of the House of Representatives.
Tennessee’s Department of Safety and Homeland Security and Department of Education are charged with developing school security assessments and training law enforcement and school administrators to identify and eliminate school security vulnerabilities.
Learn more about the assessment process here.
Tennessee Investment in Student Achievement Formula
The law that created the Tennessee School Safety Center also allows school districts to use funding from the Tennessee Investment in Student Achievement (TISA) Formula for programs geared toward student safety:
- violence prevention programs
- conflict resolution
- disruptive or assaultive behavior management
- improved school security
- school resource officers
- school safety officers
- peer mediation
- employee training
Learn more about the formula here.
House Bill 322 Amendment: Required Security Features
When it comes to Tennessee school safety solutions, keeping school doors locked to block access by unauthorized people is a simple step to protect students. According to a report, the State Fire Marshal’s Office identified 527 unlocked exterior doors during inspections of approximately 1,500 schools.
Gov. Lee introduced legislation requiring that all primary and secondary schools keep their exterior doors locked or risk losing escalating amounts of funding for each violation.
The proposed legislation would also require new security features included with all school buildings constructed or renovated after July 1.
Some school districts have invested in cameras and metal detectors, but it’s always important to focus on the fundamentals, such as developing a school climate of questioning individuals on campus who aren’t wearing visitor badges.
Learn more about the required features here.
Tennessee School Safety Specialist Program
The Tennessee School Safety Specialist Program provides ongoing training about best practices for school safety, security, prevention, and planning. The goal is to create a safe and supportive learning environment.
After training, School Safety Specialists:
- Coordinate with emergency responders, local medical facilities, community members, administrators, parents, and students to update emergency operations plans.
- Network with appropriate stakeholders to enhance school safety.
- Serve as resources on issues related to school discipline, safety, security, and bullying prevention.
- Provide professional development for district faculty and staff on school violence, crime prevention, bullying, and other issues.
Learn more about the program here.
CENTEGIX Safety Report
2024 School Safety Trends: Saving Seconds Saves Lives
Discover our latest, comprehensive analysis of school safety incidents gathered from the CENTEGIX Safety Platform™ usage data for the 2023-2024 school year in our report 2024 School Safety Trends: Saving Seconds Saves Lives.
See what our safety report reveals regarding safety in the classroom, state safety legislation, and critical components of school safety solutions. Download your copy today.
Tennessee Passes Alyssa’s Law
Tennessee legislators recently passed Alyssa’s Law, a law that encourages schools to equip all classrooms with panic buttons. Now it heads to Governor Bill Lee’s desk, where he is expected to sign it. Learn more about the story here.
How Are Your Resources Being Spent?
CENTEGIX protects over 12,000 locations across the country. We can protect yours, too.
The CENTEGIX Safety Platform™, featuring CrisisAlert™, accelerates your response to emergencies. We’ve built the CENTEGIX Safety Platform to support you in the single most critical factor of incident response: time. Because in an emergency, every second matters.
Discover federal resources to fund new safety and security initiatives in your district by exploring federal funding resources for school safety.
Championing Safe Schools with Educators and Educator Associations
Hear from Our Educators
We engage with teachers and staff every day to understand how CrisisAlert supports them, and here’s what they’ve shared:
A student was having trouble breathing and her vision was beginning to black out. We don’t have service in our building and it can be difficult to get ahold of the office staff, so having something to immediately alert them of emergency was incredibly helpful in a very scary situation.
I had a student who was refusing to follow directions and became very defiant. This student was beginning to get aggressive. I used my badge to alert our campus security monitor to remove the student from the situation. It is a very useful tool when the response was as immediate as it was.
A student was having a severe panic attack, trouble speaking, crying, not able to answer my questions as to what was wrong with her. I used the device to call for administrative help and it worked like it was designed to. Help arrived in a matter of seconds. I saw firsthand how well it works.
Discover the Safety Platform
Safety solutions that prioritize speed for the best outcome.
Mapping and locating capabilities provide the precise location—of emergencies, visitors, and safety assets.
A visitor management system screens and locates visitors on your campus.
Protocol development to plan for rapid incident response.
CENTEGIX CrisisAlert vs. Mobile Apps
CrisisAlert eliminates vulnerabilities related to app-only solutions and enables rapid incident response to all emergencies.
In an Emergency, You Need CrisisAlert™
Adverse situations can happen at any moment—from everyday crises such as medical emergencies, severe weather, and physical altercations to extreme situations that threaten your entire campus. The faster you get help to the right location, the better the outcome.
See how our CrisisAlert wearable mobile panic button empowers staff to get help instantly in an emergency.
Ready to Connect with a CENTEGIX Specialist to Learn More?
Alysse Daniels, M.Ed.
Senior RVP, Strategic Accounts
Phone: 404-202-3813
Email: adaniels@centegix.com
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*By providing my phone number to CENTEGIX, I agree and acknowledge that CENTEGIX may send text messages to my wireless phone number for any purpose. Message and data rates may apply. CENTEGIX will only send one SMS as a reply, and I will be able to Opt-out by replying “STOP”. **No mobile information will be shared with third parties/affiliates for marketing/promotional purposes.*
Empower Your Educators
with Safety
Explore More Safety Resources
Supporting the Unique Safety Needs of Special Education Students and Staff
In our case study, learn how Meade County School District has supported and empowered their special education staff and students with the CENTEGIX Safety Platform™.
Visitor Management: Best Practices for Your School Safety Plan
CENTEGIX empowers thousands of schools to take control of their visitor management and protect their teachers, students, and staff. Get a copy of our Visitor Management Best Practices Guide today.
2024 School Safety Trends Report
This report offers our latest, comprehensive analysis of school safety incidents gathered from the CENTEGIX Safety Platform™ usage data for the 2023-2024 school year.
School Safety Standards by State
Schools in any state can meet school safety grant funding requirements by choosing the CENTEGIX Safety Platform™. Learn more about school safety in your state.
How Vail Health Transformed Safety and Patient Care with CrisisAlert
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Why Critical Incident Mapping Matters in an Emergency
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Reducing Tension: The Role of De-escalation in School Safety
Learn how de-escalation techniques, paired with a discreet school emergency alert system, can create a culture of safety and calm on your school’s campus.
How to Secure Funding for CENTEGIX School Safety Solutions
Learn how federal and state funding can help you pay for innovative school safety solutions from CENTEGIX.
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