AN OPEN LETTER FROM MNPS PARENTS GUARDIANS, CAREGIVERS, TEACHERS AND STAFF

May 2, 2023

To Dr. Adrienne Battle and MNPS Leadership:

We are a group of bi-partisan parents, guardians, caregivers, teachers and staff of Metro Nashville Public School (“MNPS”) students, and we are proud to be a part of the MNPS system. In light of the events at Covenant, we are writing to request that all faculty and staff who work in schools receive on-site, in-person active shooter training by qualified professionals before the beginning of the 2023-24 school year.

We understand that school leaders – principals and assistant principals – have received training from the Metro Nashville Police Department (“MNPD”), and that those leaders, in turn, are tasked with training all faculty and staff on what to do in the event of an active shooter. We trust that our school leadership has and will continue to use every resource available to them to prepare faculty and staff on how to respond to an active shooter situation, which has become all too common. However, research shows that in-person training is far more effective than train-the-trainer education ever can be, as in-person training allows faculty and staff to learn directly from an expert. In-person training would also take an immense amount of pressure off of our school leadership, who is currently unfairly tasked with providing law enforcement training to faculty and staff. The current method puts MNPS faculty and staff in a precarious situation, too, as they do not receive training from any law enforcement official or active shooter expert. Covenant is a horrific example of just how important proper in-person active shooter training is, as the faculty and staff were clearly prepared and reacted quickly and effectively as soon as the situation began, having all received in-person training.

We are hopeful that MNPS is actively working on a plan to improve school safety, including active shooter training at all MNPS schools. We believe in our schools and in the school system, and we are confident that we all have the same goal – to allow our kids to grow and learn in a safe and secure environment. We also know that if these important actions are not taken in a timely manner, there are many families who may choose to send their children to schools outside of the MNPS system. We request that MNPS provide a comprehensive safety plan by May 22, 2023, to include comprehensive in-person training for all faculty and staff on-site at each school before the start of the 2023-24 school year. By then, eight weeks will have passed since the Covenant tragedy – more than enough time for the District to develop and implement a comprehensive safety plan. If a comprehensive plan is not in place by May 22, we will assume the Board is taking no action this school year and that we are free to pursue in-person training and take other necessary security actions for our respective schools independently and without further action from MNPS.

We are certain that our goals on this issue are aligned, and we are hopeful that MNPS will act with the necessary sense of urgency, honoring those lives lost at Covenant on March 27, 2023, and ensuring the safety of all MNPS students and staff.

Sincerely,

MNPS Parents, Guardians, Caregivers, Teachers and Staff