The Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security grant program offers up to $75,000 per school to help pay for a dedicated officer. Council approval would allow Metro Nashville Public Schools to apply; it would not guarantee the state will award the money.

All MNPS middle and high schools currently have at least one dedicated school resource officer, but just seven of the district’s 73 elementary schools have one, according to the district’s figures. If awarded, the grant would support officers at 56 elementary, middle and high schools.

Gov. Bill Lee launched the program after a 2023 shooting at Nashville’s Covenant School killed three children and three staff members. The funding proposal arrives amid continued debate over how schools should address safety and what role police should play on campus.

James Englert, president of the National Association of School Resource Officers, said officers can work with school communities on safety. But he cautioned that an officer cannot be everywhere in a building and should not be viewed as a stand-alone solution to school violence.

Metro Police released an eight-page School Safety Enhancement Report in March, commissioned by the council after the Antioch High School shooting. MNPS has not publicly identified which recommendations, if any, it has put in place.

A district spokesperson said student and staff safety remains a priority and that MNPS continues to work with Metro Police and its safety team to review recommendations and practices.

The council’s vote will determine whether the district can pursue the grant. Any award would help fund officers, but the available information does not specify how the district would decide which 56 schools receive support.