School Safety
Tools for Enhanced School Safety
Wilson County Sheriffs Office School Threat Reporting Form
This form has been prepared by the Wilson County Sheriff’s Office for the continued protection of our students, educational institutions (public or private), and their faculty.
With the anonymous reporting system, students, faculty, parents, and the public can easily and confidentially report their concerns to help prevent violence in our schools and our communities. Tips can be submitted 24/7 through the mobile app from any compatible device. The Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security will review, assess, and then send all submissions to law enforcement, mental health crisis response teams, and/or school administrators for intervention based on the information received.
Safety & Emergency Management Overview
Stephen Spencer is the district Director of Safety. Stephen is a certified emergency management professional (CEMP) through the Emergency Managers Association of Tennessee (EMAT). Stephen is active in the International Association of Emergency Managers (IAEM), Association of Contingency Planners (ACP), and the National Weather Association. Stephen came to Wilson County Schools from the Wilson Emergency Management Agency where he served as the Planning Division Chief overseeing the county emergency operations plan, weather operations, the Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC), assisted businesses and daycares with business continuity and disaster recovery planning, and public outreach programs. Stephen is a graduate from the Tennessee Fire and Codes Academy and serves as a volunteer firefighter and Training Officer in Smith County. Stephen also has his Emergency Medical Responder certificate, and completed the FEMA professional development series and NIMS programs.
The Wilson County School District has in a place a comprehensive Emergency Operations Plan to address multi-hazards for the school district and assure accountability of students, staff, and visitors to our schools. A School Emergency Planning Committee has been assembled made up of internal and external stakeholders from law enforcement, EMS, firefighters, and emergency managers to principals and department heads throughout Wilson County. The committee meets on a regular basis throughout the school year to write, modify, or update the Wilson County Schools Emergency Operations Plan. Exercises of the various functions within the plan are conducted in the schools monthly, with functional and full scale exercises with external stakeholders during the school year.
Each school has trained individuals making up a Crisis Management Team. This team has responsibility of activation of the district emergency response plan with assigned duties to address each function of the crisis. A district Crisis Management Team is ready at all times to activate, respond, and support the local crisis team and emergency responders.
Wilson County Schools is proud of its School Resource Officer (SRO) program which allows for at least one if not two, full-time deputies from the Wilson County Sheriff’s Department in our schools every school day. Our SRO’s are highly trained individuals not only in law enforcement but also specifically in school emergencies and response. The SRO’s interact with our students on a daily basis and are available throughout the entire day should a crisis occur.
The Safety and Emergency Management Department has in place daily protocols to address access and control to the buildings, communications internally and externally, and warning notification.
It’s the goal of the Safety and Emergency Management Department to provide a safe atmosphere for learning to the students, and confidence for parents. The Wilson County Schools Emergency Operations Plan provides for: Prevention, Protection, Mitigation, Response, and Recovery before, during, and after an emergency.
Information on Family Preparedness: