'This is a small step': Tenn. House passes the fire alarm bill in honor of Covenant student who died

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — A key piece of legislation — supported by several families of victims in the Covenant School shooting back in 2023 — made it through a major hurdle Thursday.

A fire alarm is supposed to draw you away from danger, but during the Covenant shooting, the alarm lead innocent victims straight toward the shooter.

"I’m authorized to say the following on behalf of my friend Erin Kinney, mother of Will Kinney," testified Mary Joyce, a friend of Erin Kinney, the mother of 9-year-old William Kinney. Kinney was one of six innocent souls killed during the mass shooting.

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"He was fulfilling his duty to lead his class to safety from a possible fire, and within seconds of the building being breached, his class encountered the shooter and he and two of his classmates were lying dead," said Joyce, reading words written by Kinney. "Had the students or teachers known there was a shooter in the building, they would have not attempted to evacuate their classroom."

Erin's heartbreaking message led lawmakers to craft the Fire Alarm bill.

"When an unannounced fire alarm goes off — in this crazy evil world that we live in these days — you can’t assume it’s a fire. You just can’t," said Rep. William Lamberth, R-Portland on the House floor Thursday.

Lamberth told lawmakers, in a perfect world, they would like to see school districts invest in smart alarms that could broadcast what type of emergency is going on.

But at the very least, he wants the district to devise an action plan for Tennessee teachers and staff to double-check what type of emergency it actually is, before they have students evacuate.

The bill passes, but not without spirited debate

The bill passed unanimously in the Tennessee House, but not without some pointed words during the debate.

"I’m glad we’re doing all these little things, but I’ll be glad when we get down to the hard work of doing things that stop these tragedies from happening in the first place," said Rep. Bo Mitchell, D-Nashville.

"It may be said by some that this is a small step. I said that myself, and it is, but a journey of a thousand miles is a series of small steps," replied Rep. Lamberth, noting the two lawmakers started in the legislature around the same time.

The Tennessee Senate is expected to take up the bill in the coming weeks. They declined to consider the bill during the 2023 Special Legislative Session.

Looking ahead on school safety

NewsChannel 5 decided to ask lawmakers — on both sides of the aisle — what are the next steps, next bills that could keep kids safer in school?

"There’s hundreds of bills we will debate this year. We put SROs in every school, we’re going to look at — I have a bill, as you all know, that deals with someone who’s not competent to assist in their defense. To make sure that person gets committed and ensure they can’t possess or purchase a firearm," said Rep. Lamberth, who also serves as House Majority Leader.

"We need to address the root causes of gun violence, and that starts with addressing the guns. Next, we need to look at what is leading people to commit crime. What is making them feel that’s their only option?" said Rep. John Ray Clemmons, D-Nashville, who also serves as the House Democratic Caucus Chair. "We need to be investing in communities, we need to be investing in children."

Only time will tell what actually passes, as Covenant parents continue to sound the alarm.

"My son diligently did his duty as the line leader of his class that day, attempting to lead them to safety, and I am so proud of him. But he gave his life for it, and none of our lives will ever be the same," read Mary Joyce on behalf of Erin Kinney.