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The Tennessee Conservative [By Jason Vaughn] –
Following the mass shooting at The Covenant School, a private Christian school in Green Hills, that took the lives of three children and three adults, Lt. Gov. Randy McNally sent a letter to Governor Bill Lee asking for schools across the state to upgrade their security.
One of McNally’s proposals was to secure windows and glass in school buildings.
McNally wrote, “As you know, the perpetrator in the most recent school shooting shot out the glass of the school’s doors to gain entry. My understanding is that there is a film that can be affixed to the windows and doors in schools that would be bulletproof or resistant.”
Now, schools across the state are considering installation of ballistic glass film or have already had it installed.
One such school is United Christian Academy, a private school in Dickson, that had ballistic glass film applied to its glass doors and windows by Dickson Graphics.
Adam Jude, president of Dickson Graphics, stated that the film is not bullet resistant in the sense that it will stop bullets and keep them from hitting individuals, but rather the film works to hold windows and glass doors together, keeping them from shattering and allowing extra time before a perpetrator can gain access.
Shooter Audrey Hale gained access to The Covenant School by shooting through glass doors, rendering the door locks almost completely useless.
According to a report by Fox 17 from October 2022, SWAT team members in Williamson County tested windows, doors wrapped in ballistic glass film during a product demonstration and found it to be very effective.
Rounds from an “AR-15 make holes in the glass, but nothing more. Cinder blocks bounce off like basketballs. Plasma torches don’t work. You need serious breaching tools and it would take time,” the report stated.
For the demonstration in Williamson County, all schools that were invited to attend sent a representative except for Metro Nashville Public Schools.
Fox 17 asked MNPS why they didn’t attend and they replied, “Our facilities and securities leads were not available for this vendor’s product demonstration. However, they are familiar with ballistic safety glass. If we were to seek these products, we would do so through a competitive procurement.”
According to the Fox 17 report, there are state grants available to have the ballistic glass film installed without even using federal Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funds.
Reports state that of the schools in Tennessee that have had the film installed, all have got it free with the use of a state grant.
No word yet on whether MNPS has had the film installed following The Covenant School shooting.
About the Author: Jason Vaughn, Media Coordinator for The Tennessee Conservative ~ Jason previously worked for a legacy publishing company based in Crossville, TN in a variety of roles through his career. Most recently, he served as Deputy Director for their flagship publication. Prior, he was a freelance journalist writing articles that appeared in the Herald Citizen, the Crossville Chronicle and The Oracle among others. He graduated from Tennessee Technological University with a Bachelor’s in English-Journalism, with minors in Broadcast Journalism and History. Contact Jason at news@TennesseeConservativeNews.com
One Response
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