2023 Tennessee Code › Title 49 - EDUCATION (§§ 49-1-NEW — 49-50-1703) › Chapter 6 - ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION (§§ 49-6-101 — 49-6-8106) › Part 8 - SCHOOLS AGAINST VIOLENCE IN EDUCATION (SAVE) › Section 49-6-807 - Annual drills

(a)
Each school safety team, private school, and church-related school shall annually conduct at least one (1):
(1)
Armed intruder drill;
(2)
Incident command drill; and
(3)
Emergency safety bus drill.
(b)
(1)
Each armed intruder drill must be conducted in coordination with the appropriate local law enforcement agency.
(2)
Each incident command drill:
(A)
Conducted by a school safety team:
(i)
Must be conducted without students present; and
(ii)
Must prepare school staff and law enforcement agencies on what to expect in the event of an emergency situation in the school; and
(B)
Conducted by a private school or church-related school:
(i)
May be conducted with or without students present; and
(ii)
Must prepare school staff and law enforcement agencies on what to expect in the event of an emergency situation in the school.
(3)
Each emergency safety bus drill:
(A)
Conducted by a school safety team:
(i)
Must be conducted without students present; and
(ii)
Must prepare school staff and law enforcement agencies on what to expect in the event of an emergency situation on a school bus; and
(B)
Conducted by a private school or church-related school:
(i)
May be conducted with or without students present; and
(ii)
Must prepare school staff and law enforcement agencies on what to expect in the event of an emergency situation on a school bus.
(c)
The results of a drill conducted pursuant to subsection (a) must be:
(1)
Maintained by the school for a minimum of five (5) years;
(2)
Made available to:
(i)
A local law enforcement agency with jurisdiction, and
(ii)
The department of education or the department of safety upon request, if the drill was conducted by a school safety team.
(d)
The drills required in subsection (a) are in addition to the drills required in §
68-102-137
.
(e)
(1)
Each LEA, public charter school, private school, and church-related school shall develop a procedure for determining the cause of a fire alarm activation, including the potential for an active shooter event. The procedure must be developed in consultation with local fire department and law enforcement officials and must comply with applicable fire and building codes. 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. Each LEA, public charter school, private school, and church-related school shall annually train all school staff, including substitute teachers and other part-time staff and school volunteers, on the safety procedure developed pursuant to this subsection (e).
(2)
Each LEA, and to the extent applicable, each public charter school, shall coordinate with its district-wide school safety team and building-level school safety team to incorporate the procedure developed pursuant to this subsection (e) in its district-wide school safety plan and building-level school safety plan.
(3)
Each procedure developed pursuant to this subsection (e) must be implemented no later than January 1, 2025, and must be annually reviewed and updated, if necessary, to ensure the procedure reflects best practices for the safety of students and school staff, including substitute teachers and other part-time staff and school volunteers.
(f)
As used in this section:
(1)
"Church-related school" means a school as defined in §
49-50-801
; and
(2)
"Private school" means a school accredited by, or a member of, an organization or association approved by the state board of education as an organization accrediting or setting academic requirements in schools, or that has been approved by the state, or is in the future approved by the commissioner in accordance with rules promulgated by the state board of education.
Amended by 2024 Tenn. Acts, ch. 563,s 1, eff. 3/12/2024.
Amended by 2023 Tenn. Acts, ch. 367, s 7, eff. 7/1/2023.
Amended by 2017 Tenn. Acts, ch. 313, s 1, eff. 7/1/2017.
Acts 2007 , ch. 548, § 8.