New and Additional Resources
New Resources
- Armed Intruder Drill Best Practices
- Best Practice Guideline for Mental Health Crisis Services
- Building Rapport for Behavioral Threat Assessment
- Earthquake Preparedness Guidance Document
- Emergency Operations Planning Emergency Go Kits
- Emergency Operations Planning Tips for Annex B
- Emergency Safety Bus Drill Best Practices
- Extreme Temperatures Resource Document
- Field Trip Safety Guidance
- Fire Alarm Delayed Evacuation Response Guidance
- Fire Drill Best Practices
- Incident Command Drill Best Practices
- Internet Safety for Students
- K12 Best Practices Facility Design: Safety, Security, Resilience & Preparedness
- K-12 School Security Guide
- Managing Hoax Threats
- Parent Guide for Bullying Prevention
- Parent Information on Reunification
- PREPARE Postvention Manual
- Raising Digitally Responsible Youth A Parent's Guide
- Safety Coordinator Manual
- Sample After Action Review Form
- Sample Memorandum of Understanding for Relocation Site
- Sample Public Information Release
- School Violence Prevention Prevention Strategies
- Severe Weather Preparedness
- Shelter in Place Drill Best Practices
- Student Transportation FAQs
- Substitute Teacher School Safety Training Tips and Guidance
- Summer Programming Safety
- Supporting Youth After an Event Heavily Visible on Media
- Supporting Youth After a Tragedy Guidance for Parents
- Tabletop Exercises
- Threats of Violence Information for Families and Community
- Timeless School Safety Strategies
- Tornado Preparedness Plan for Schools
- Trauma Informed Drills
- Trauma Informed Fire Safety Announcements
Additional Resources
Tenn. Code Ann. § 49-6-817 requires that each public school operated by an LEA, public charter school, private school, and church related school shall ensure that all exterior doors leading into a school building are always locked and access to the buildings is limited to the school’s primary entrance. Outside or regular hours, the primary entrance can be unlocked if continuously monitored by a school or LEA employee who is physically present at the door to ensure access is limited to only authorized persons and will alert others if an unauthorized person enters.
State and local law enforcement are authorized to inspect a door serving as an entrance to or exit from a school building to determine whether the door is locked as required. There is no limit to the number of inspections law enforcement personnel may conduct. If law enforcement personnel find that the door to an entrance or exit from a school building is unlocked, the school must immediately lock the door and the law enforcement that found the unlocked door shall, within twenty-four (24) hours, send written notification to:
- The LEA’s director of schools or the leader of the public charter school as applicable;
- The chair of the local board of education or public charter school governing body, as applicable;
- The head of the parent-teacher organization for the LEA or public charter school, if there is such an organization for the public charter school;
- The school principal;
- The department of safety - (Homeland.Security@tn.gov);
- The department of education - (Door.Safety@tn.gov); and
- Each local law enforcement agency with jurisdiction.
The LEA’s director of schools, the leader of the public charter school, or their respective designees, shall within forty-eight (48) hours of receiving notification from the law enforcement agency send written confirmation to the notifying law enforcement agency that the door was immediately locked as required and that processes are in place to ensure that the door remains locked as required. The director, leader or their respective designee shall send a copy of the written confirmation to the recipients listed above. The written confirmation must state whether the LEA or public charter school has a full-time school resource officer whose primary location is the school found to be in violation.
Information about more than one exterior door lock violation can be found here.
- Adverse Childhood Expereinces Infographic
- Adolescent Connectedness
- CDC Mental Health Resources Page
- CDC Children's Mental Health Page
- Back to School and Mental Health ( SAMHSA)
- Mental Health Supports for Educators (SAMHSA)
- CDC - Promoting Mental Health and Well Being in School
- SchoolSafety.gov_Mental-Health-Resources-for-K12-Schools_Infographic_May-2022.pdf
- Behavioral Health Resources for Youth (SAMHSA)
- Supporting Child and Student Social, Emotional, Behavioral, and Mental Health Needs (PDF)
- Warning signs of Child Abuse (English)
- Warning signs of Child Abuse (Spanish)
- Child Abuse Reporting for Teachers
- Erin's Law - 2023 Update
- Mandated Reporter Training
- Child Abuse Reporter Training
- Human Trafficking Resources
- Human Trafficking for Tennessee Educators
- Human Trafficking Resources (tn.gov)
- Human Trafficking (tn.gov)
- RedSandResourceGuide_(tn.gov)