KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — When it comes to education, the role of teachers goes much farther than conveying knowledge. In many cases, they can also be the last line of defense between violent students and the rest of the classroom. In this week’s Ask Isaacs, 6 News Anchor Lori Tucker and Attorney Greg Isaacs break down Tennessee’s laws about dealing with violent students.
This week’s topic from Ask Isaacs comes from a viewer. Jami French asked: “Aside from reporting incidents to their administrators, is there anything that public school teachers in Tennessee can do to protect themselves and their students from repeatedly violent classmates or to protect themselves and their students from threats of physical harm and death?”
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In Tennessee, the Educator’s Bill of Rights provides that educators have the right to provide students with a classroom and school in which the teacher, students, and peers feel safe. Additionally, it adds that teachers have the right to defend themselves and their students from physical violence or harm. These rights also extend to all educators, which includes teachers, principals, supervisors, or anyone required to hold a valid license to be qualified to be a public school employee.
While quite a bit of school safety conversations may circle around school shootings and threats to the school on a larger scale, there are also laws against threatening teachers and school employees. The Isaacs Law Firm states that death threats against school employees or students is a Class B misdemeanor, which is punishable by up to 30 days of imprisonment…