EVENTS

In a joint effort, the Tennessee Student Union is partnering with the Schools Not Jails' Tennessee student chapter to petition the Metro Nashville Council for an end, or at least reduction, in city funding for School Police in Metro Nashville Public Schools via their School Resource Officer program. Petitioning and the collection of signatures is ongoing as Nashville budget season continues.

*Update  - June '22: While SROs, unfortunately, did not see a decrease in funding this cycle, we will continue to pressure the Council (and School Board) through this petition, among other events. We ask that y'all keep sharing the petition & keep an eye out for future TNSU events! 

Sign the petition here — https://bit.ly/EndNashvilleSROs 

Gun violence is an epidemic across the country. On March 27th, this reality was reaffirmed for thousands in Nashville. As students, we are at constant threat of death because of our cultural attitude toward guns. With school shootings being a frequent occurrence, it cannot be stressed how important it is that we earn reform. Before this, Nashville had never had an intentional school shooting. We must push for our representatives to pass common sense background checks and not counter productive policy where our schools become more like prisons. School shootings are not stopped by police in schools. We must have preventative, rather than reactive, measures in place. Our petition, which sends letters to everyone in General Assembly leadership, plus who directly represents you, pushes for just this.

Sign the petition here —  https://bit.ly/40Ox5Cs

As Nashville students, we are proposing three simple demands for the 2023 budget that partain to our immediate needs. Halting any increases to police funding, reinstituting the Community Education Commission, and investing SRO increases into student support staff. We stand against reactive and punitive measures within schools that are a waste of money. Our core goal as student organizers is to build an education system - and community - where all students can flourish. Sustaining the school-to-prison pipeline, sparking trauma, and destroying the delicate balances of the school environment is fundamentally contradictory to what we need as students. This is why we're calling for these simple steps as a first measure to building the schools we deserve.

*Update  - June 20th, 2023

We officially have amendments to the budget that target our #1 and #2 demands! Contact your district Council Member and our four at-large Council Members on endorsing CM Ginny Welsch's amendments to the budget. Amendments 6, 9, 11, & 12 all reinstate the Community Education Commission while 7, 8, 10, 13 freezes all MNPD increases (without mention of community education). See more here!

View the demands here —  Nashville Budget

Support the demands here —  Budget Demands Support

Support our 2022 SRO petition here — End Nashville SROs

Watch our budget discussion here — Part 1 & Part 2