Dear Parents and Guardians,
At White County Schools, the safety and well-being of our students is our top priority. As part of a new statewide initiative, we want to inform you about the upcoming implementation of firearm safety instruction in our schools.

In accordance with Tenn. Code Ann. § 49-6-1016, our school district will be providing students with mandatory firearm safety instruction. This new state law requires all Tennessee public schools to provide age-appropriate and grade-appropriate instruction on firearm safety annually, beginning with the 2025-2026 school year.

The training will be conducted in the coming weeks by the School Resource Officer (SRO) assigned to each school. The curriculum, which has been developed by the Tennessee Department of Education, focuses on key safety topics such as:

• How to safely respond to a firearm
• The importance of never touching a firearm
• The need to immediately notify an adult

This training does not include the use of live ammunition or live firearms.

This proactive measure is intended to equip our students with vital knowledge that can help them make safe decisions in various situations.
For more information, you can review the official curriculum from the Tennessee Department of Education here.

Please feel free to contact your child's school with any questions or concerns you may have.