The grant would cover officers already in place, rather than expand the program, Metro police said. If council members approve the application, it would go to the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security through the state’s School Resource Officer Program Grant, established after the Covenant School shooting.

Nashville’s current coverage varies by school level. Each high school has two or three resource officers, each middle school has one, and seven elementary schools have a dedicated officer, according to Metro police. Officers also work overtime to provide coverage at other buildings through the department’s School Safety Initiative.

The funding request comes days after a deadly shooting at a school in Oregon renewed questions about how schools are protected. Some Nashville parents say they want full-time officers at every school, though the proposed grant would not provide that expansion.

Alyssa Loomis, a Metro Schools parent, said seeing an officer at her son’s school gives her peace of mind. She said the officers can serve as a deterrent, while acknowledging that safety measures cannot guarantee a tragedy will be prevented.

James Englert, president of the National Association of School Resource Officers, cautioned that an officer cannot be everywhere in a school at once. He said resource officers alone cannot stop an attack, even when assigned to a building throughout the school day.

Last school year, officers were elsewhere inside Antioch High School when a student began shooting in the cafeteria. Metro police completed an eight-page school safety enhancement report in March that recommended a school safety advisory committee, additional weapon-detection systems and clear-bag requirements.

The council vote would determine whether Nashville submits its application for the 2027-28 school year; it would not itself add officers or guarantee the state grant.