Education, Dept. of

Plain English Breakdown

The bill does not provide specific details on how much funding is allocated for each year of the pilot program.

School Safety Grants for AI Weapons Detection Systems

This bill requires the Tennessee Department of Education to create and fund a three-year pilot program that provides grants to eligible local education agencies (LEAs) for purchasing artificial intelligence weapons detection systems in schools.

What This Bill Does

• Creates a grant program for LEAs to buy AI weapons detection systems for their schools over three years.
• Requires the AI systems to identify weapons like knives and firearms, and alert law enforcement and school officials immediately upon detection.
• Allocates funds each year of the pilot program to eligible LEAs based on specific criteria.
• Allows remaining grant money to be used for other approved security measures if all schools have AI systems installed.
• Requires annual reports from the Department of Education detailing the progress of the program.

Who It Names or Affects

• Local education agencies (LEAs) that meet certain criteria, such as having priority or low-performing schools and experiencing gun violence.
• Schools managed by local boards of education in eligible LEAs.
• Students and staff at participating schools who will benefit from improved safety measures.

Terms To Know

Local Education Agency (LEA)

An agency responsible for providing public elementary or secondary education within a defined area, such as a school district.

Priority Schools

Schools identified by the state's accountability system as needing improvement based on academic performance and other factors.

Limits and Unknowns

• The bill does not specify how much funding will be available each year for the grant program.
• It is unclear what criteria the Department of Education will use to determine the amount of each grant awarded.

Official Summary Text

This bill requires

t
he department of education
to
establish and administer a three-year artificial intelligence weapon
s detection system grant pilot program to award grants to eligible LEAs for the purchase of artificial intelligence weapons detection systems for each school managed and controlled by the eligible LEA's local board of education that does not have
such
a sy
stem.

As used in this
bill
, "eligible LEA" means an LEA, excluding the achievement school district (ASD)
, (i) with 10 or more schools i
dentified as priority schools in 2015;
a
mong the bottom 10% of schools
in 2017
;
i
dentified as priority schools in 2018;
and
i
dentified as priority schools in 2021; and
(ii) t
hat experienced a loss of student life in the 2024-2025 school year due to gun violence occurring on the grounds of a school managed and controlled by the LEA's local board of education.

This bill req
uires each
artificial intelligence weapons detection system purchased for purposes of this
bill to
be capable of identifying weapons, including knives and firearms, on school grounds and immediately notifying law enforcement and school administration of th
e presence of a weapon on school grounds upon its detection by the system.

Subject to appropriations,
this bill requires
the department
to
allocate and disburse grants to eligible LEAs each year of the pilot program. If, in any year of the pilot program
, all public schools managed and controlled by the local board of education for each eligible LEA have an artificial intelligence weapons detection system, then the department
must
disburse any remaining grant funds to eligible LEAs for other school securi
ty purchases, projects, or measures approved by the department.

The department
must
determine the amount of each grant awarded pursuant to this
bill
but the department
must
disburse 100% of the funds appropriated for the pilot program each year in grants
to all eligible LEAs.

This bill provides that t
he pilot program begins with the 2025-2026 school year
and ends on
July 31, 2028.

By July 31, 2026, and by each July 31 thereafter until the pilot program terminates, the department
must
submit a report to
the general assembly identifying the number of schools managed and controlled by each eligible LEA's local board of education that received a grant in the immediately preceding school year, the number of artificial intelligence weapons detection systems p
u
rchased, and the number of schools in the eligible LEA that do not have an artificial intelligence weapons detection system.

Current Bill Text

SENATE BILL 814
By Gardenhire

HOUSE BILL 933
By Parkinson

HB0933
002585
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 49,
relative to school safety.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 49, Chapter 1, Part 1, is amended by
adding the following as a new section:
(a) As used in this section, "eligible LEA" means an LEA, excluding the
achievement school district (ASD):
(1) With ten (10) or more schools:
(A) Identified as priority schools in 2015, as defined by the state's
accountability system pursuant to § 49-1-602;
(B) Among the bottom ten percent (10%) of schools, as identified
by the department in 2017 in accordance with § 49-1-602(b)(3);
(C) Identified as priority schools in 2018, as defined by the state's
accountability system pursuant to § 49-1-602; and
(D) Identified as priority schools in 2021, as defined by the state's
accountability system pursuant to § 49-1-602; and
(2) That experienced a loss of student life in the 2024-2025 school year
due to gun violence occurring on the grounds of a school managed and
controlled by the LEA's local board of education.
(b) The department of education shall establish and administer a three-year
artificial intelligence weapons detection system grant pilot program to award grants to
eligible LEAs for the purchase of artificial intelligence weapons detection systems for

- 2 - 002585

each school managed and controlled by the eligible LEA's local board of education that
does not have an artificial intelligence weapons detection system.
(c) Each artificial intelligence weapons detection system purchased for purposes
of this section must be capable of identifying weapons, including knives and firearms, on
school grounds and immediately notifying law enforcement and school administration of
the presence of a weapon on school grounds upon its detection by the system.
(d) Subject to appropriations, the department shall allocate and disburse grants
to eligible LEAs each year of the pilot program. If, in any year of the pilot program, all
public schools managed and controlled by the local board of education for each eligible
LEA have an artificial intelligence weapons detection system, then the department shall
disburse any remaining grant funds to eligible LEAs for other school security purchases,
projects, or measures approved by the department.
(e) The department shall determine the amount of each grant awarded pursuant
to this section, but the department shall disburse one hundred percent (100%) of the
funds appropriated for the pilot program each year in grants to all eligible LEAs.
(f) The pilot program begins with the 2025-2026 school year.
(g) By July 31, 2026, and by each July 31 thereafter until the pilot program
terminates, the department shall submit a report to the general assembly identifying the
number of schools managed and controlled by each eligible LEA's local board of
education that received a grant in the immediately preceding school year, the number of
artificial intelligence weapons detection systems purchased, and the number of schools
in the eligible LEA that do not have an artificial intelligence weapons detection system.
(h) This section is repealed on July 31, 2028.
SECTION 2. This act takes effect upon becoming a law, the public welfare requiring it.