CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – Clarksville-Montgomery School officials announced Friday that armed off-duty officers will be stationed at all elementary schools beginning this month.
Administrators and city and county leaders said Friday at a news conference that they reviewed the school system's safety protocol and what could be done to enhance safety measures already in place.
The system has worked out arrangements with Clarksville Police and the
Montgomery County Sheriff's office to place the officers at the
elementary schools for the spring semester, using $140,000 from energy and
fuel savings, as well as funding allocated for textbooks that was
unspent due to lower-than-projected student enrollment this year.
"I am
so proud and thankful to be a part of a community that takes pride in schools
and wants to make sure schools are safe for their children," said Director of Schools Dr. B.J. Worthington.
School resource officers from the sheriff's department are already provided in middle and high schools.
Officials praised the teamwork of city and county agencies for the quick action.
"There
is nothing more important to all of us, and all of Clarksville and Montgomery county
than keeping our children safe," said Clarksville Mayor Kim McMillian.
In addition to extra officers, buzz in systems, which require visitors to buzz in to the school's central office, will be installed at the eleven schools in the district that do not currently have the system.
Officials said they will continue to work on a long term security plan.
Clarksville-Montgomery Schools are the latest school district to announce enhanced safety measures in light of the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary last month. Other districts, such as Rutherford, Wilson and Sumner Counties, have already announced they would like more School Resource Officers to be stationed at their schools.
