Tennessee lawmakers have reintroduced a bill for the 2025 legislative session that aims to fill school resource officer shortages by allowing veterans and retired law enforcement officers to be hired.
Republican Rep. Tim Rudd reintroduced the bill for the 2025 Congress. The bill passed the House last Congress, but failed to pass the Senate.
The bill would allow public charter schools to hire honorably discharged military veterans and retired law enforcement officers as school resource officers.
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Tennessee State Capitol Building in Nashville, Tennessee, January 8, 2020. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)
Applicants must complete 40 hours of basic training on school policy, pass a test to qualify for the purchase and possession of a handgun, receive written permission to own or possess a firearm on school grounds, undergo a psychiatric evaluation, and Must pass an FBI criminal background check.
“They still have to be trained, especially because we try to find more resource officers in these rural areas to protect children,” Rudd said. told WTVC.
“This won't solve the shortage problem, but it will help,” he added. “Ultimately, it will be up to school systems to decide whether to use them and what guidelines and regulations they put in place.”
Tennessee State Capitol seen from a drone. (Joe Soum/Visions of America/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
Rudd said the proposal would help veterans and retired law enforcement officers, but the main priority is to protect children.
The man, who served in the Navy for more than 20 years, said the move could be an opportunity for veterans to find new purpose and serve as role models for students.
“They have all the skills necessary to bring into the school environment as resource officers,” Mickey McCamish told WTVC.
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January 22, 2024 at the Tennessee State Capitol in Nashville, Tennessee. (AP Photo/George Walker IV, File)
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While the transition from military to civilian life can be difficult for some, Professor McAmish says these people make perfect role models for students.
“There is nothing better than having a military veteran as a role model for our students, whether that be in a resource officer position or simply as a part of school life,” he said.
