This project, "making hawkins county schools a safer place" will serve as a catalyst to continue our work to make our school learning environments as safe as possible

The hawkins county school district is located in a rural area of northeast tennessee. IT is one of the 13 states considered part of the appalachian area of the unitied states. The district is considered "at-risk", with four (4) areas being considered as "distressed". The county is one of the oldest in tennessee. The cities of bulls GAP, church hill, mooresburg, MT. Carmel, rogersville and surgoinsville are located within this county. The district has schools located in each city. The district is comprised of 17 schools. There are two (2) free-standing high schools plus one school which are k - 12 grades. The k - 12 school is located in a partcularly rural area. The pathways alternative school provides 6 - 12 grades. The remaining are elementary and middle schools. IT seems everyday we hear of a shooting in a public area. Schools are also one of those that are targeted by students or outsiders. Unfortunatley, in 2023 we continue to see this trend increase and the number is probably going to become a record year. We have seen a need to make our schools safer by limiting access points. Over the last 3 years, our maintenance department started renovating entrances to the most vulnernable schools by limiting entry access points to the schools. Additionally, in partnership with the local sheriff's office, schools have a school resource officer (SRO) for a total of 17 officers offering a physical presence within the school buildings. The focus of this project is to continue our work to make our schools safer by strengthening our entry points by adding new stronger, updated doors, and installing electronic access points with DPS sensors. As we continue this process we will also verify that in all locations keyhole blanks are removed so a physical key cannot be used. Additionally, we see a great need to add a social worker and another school psychologist within our district. Our students are stressed and worry. IT is SAD that they have to think about their own safety within their once safe haven. Our director of schools and administrators as well as the board of education take the safety of our students seriously and are making IT a priorty.