NASHVILLE, Tenn. — A proposed Tennessee bill would revise local schools’ active shooter protocols if the fire alarm is pulled.
HB 7002 was originally introduced in August 2023 as a direct response to the Covenant School shooting. Rep. William Lamberth (R - Portland) introduced it and said he worked on the bill with the mother of a 9-year-old who was killed at the school. The child was killed while evacuating after the shooter pulled a fire alarm.
“We all know what was happening there – a horrible, murderous, evil person in his school – but little William didn’t know that,” Lamberth said.
It passed the House in August 2023, during a special legislative session meant to focus on gun restrictions. However, the Senate did not hear it after tabling nearly all the bills that were proposed.
The amended House version of the bill requires all schools, including private schools and church-related schools, to make plans to how staff would determine what caused a fire alarm to be activated. Those plans would need to be developed in consultation with local fire and law enforcement officers.
"The procedure must include response procedures for students and school staff, including substitute teachers and other part-time staff and school volunteers, after a determination is made regarding whether the emergency situation involves a fire, an active shooter, or other incident," the bill said.
Staff would also need to be trained on the procedures. The bill that the House passed also required procedures to be developed no later than Jan. 1, 2024 — a date that has since passed.
