NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) – Metro Nashville Public Schools wants to make sure all of its teachers have a device that will alert police in the event of an emergency. Currently, high school and middle school teachers have such a device, but elementary school teachers are next in priority.
To ensure parents pick up their children safe and sound each day, MNPS provides its teachers with a black, oval box that they can carry on a lanyard or themselves.
With this microphone, they can not only transmit their voice so that teachers can hear them over the loudspeakers in the classroom, but also call the police in an emergency.
“In a large high school, it’s not uncommon for it to be used daily,” said Kevin Mitchell of Audio Enhancement, a company with a presence in about 20 school districts in Tennessee.
They started in 1978 after a mother wanted to make sure her two deaf sons could hear at school. Over the years, they have modified their device to include security features, so teachers can now hold down two side buttons for two seconds and contact the police or school administration.
“God forbid there should be a medical emergency, custody dispute, seizure or anything like that in the classroom. Teachers can call for help at any time,” Mitchell explained.
MNPS currently has the devices in its high schools and middle schools, but equipping all elementary schools depends on funding provided in other school districts.
“I think there has certainly been an upward trend over the last three to five years, but it’s not so much due to security concerns as it is due to the availability of funding,” Mitchell said.
This year, the Tennessee Department of Education allowed school districts to use grants they received after the Covenant School shooting to build portable warning systems for teachers.
WSMV4 contacted every public school district in Tennessee. From those who responded, we learned that nearly 20 of them either had similar technology, such as a lanyard attached to a card, or wanted to get one but didn’t have enough money.
MNPS hopes to soon find funding for training its elementary school teachers.
“In elementary schools, we often find that it is the younger teachers, and they are the ones who feel the most vulnerable,” Mitchell said.
MNPS also has a full intercom system that allows teachers to communicate their concerns to the entire school if necessary.
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