Smoky Mountain Journal -Governor Bill Haslam Announces New Working Group To Address School Safety Recommendations




The Great Smoky Mountain Journal Source: Tuesday, January 01, 2019 02:38 PM

Governor Bill Haslam Announces New Working Group To Address School Safety Recommendations
On Monday, Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam announced the formation of a new working group of leaders from the executive branch, General Assembly, safety, education and mental health to immediately begin reviewing Tennessee schools' safety and provide recommendations to enhance security for students. The Governor's School Safety Working Group was planned to convene this week to review policies, procedures and the process of coming up with and putting into effect those plans, along with other school safety measures that include communication and collaboration with law enforcement, teachers and mental health professionals. "All children in Tennessee deserve to learn in a safe and secure environment and I am asking this working group to move quickly in making practical recommendations that we can implement in the coming weeks and months to help increase the safety of our children," Governor Haslam said. "The review will be wide ranging but include specific items, such as entry to and exit from schools, training and availability of school resource officers, and in-school mental health resources for students." The governor said he expected to have the first recommendations from the group before the end of the legislative session. The group will be chaired by the Department of Safety and Homeland Security Commissioner David Purkey and include the following members: -Greg Adams, Chief Operating Officer, Office of the Governor -Sen. Paul Bailey -Rep. David Byrd -Sen. Dolores Gresham -Sheriff John Fuson, Montgomery County Sheriff's Department -Mike Herrmann, Executive Director of Conditions for Learning, Department of Education -Sgt. Jeff Hicks, School Resource Officer Supervisor, Blount County Sheriff's Office -Lt. Gen. Keith Huber, US Army, Retired -Abbey Kidwell, Teacher, South Clinton Elementary School, Clinton City Schools -Candice McQueen, Commissioner, Department of Education -Cindy Minnis, School Psychologist, Metro Nashville Public Schools -Dr. Jack Parton, Superintendent, Sevier County Schools -Dr. Altha Stewart, University of Tennessee, Incoming President of American Psychiatric Association -Dr. Sonia Stewart, Principal, Pearl-Cohn Entertainment Magnet High School, Metro Nashville Public Schools -Marie Williams, Commissioner, Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services -Rep. Ryan Williams