Nashville's School Safety Upgrades Hampered by Delays, Weather and Logistics

More than a year following the shooting at the Covenant School in Nashville, the majority of Metro Nashville Public Schools (MNPS) are still waiting for security film to be installed. MNPS’ original deadline anticipated that all Nashville schools would have security film installed by the end of this past spring.

However, MNPS officials now say that the installation will take much longer due to delays in contracting, hiring, delivery and weather. Following the passage of the School Safety Act of 2023, MNPS allotted more than $3 million for the purchase and installation of security film in schools throughout the city.

Tennessee law requires school buildings constructed or remodeled after July 1, 2023, to have shatter-resistant or entry-resistant film on exterior glass panels. The law provides $230 million for school safety, including $54 million for security upgrades for public and private schools.

The School Safety Act of 2023 states that new schools must “install a clear, ‘bullet-resistant or entry-resistant film’ on the glass panel of each exterior entry or basement level window and door to prevent individuals from entering the school building without authorization by breaking the glass.”

MNPS officials told media outlets in 2023 that they had hoped to have security film on all Nashville schools by spring’s end. According to WSMV Nashville, only 45 of 130-plus schools have the glass. Officials say the work will more than likely not be done before the end of the upcoming school year.

Officials explain that the delay is due to the process’s multiple phases, including measurements, installing interior and exterior films and adding sealant, which can be weather-dependent.

“Contracting, hiring, background checks for contractors, material ordering and delivery, installation and weather all contribute to the project’s timeline,” MNPS spokesperson Sean Braisted told WSMV Nashville. “We have more than 130 schools throughout MNPS, and so the project is being done in phases, which start with measuring, ordering supplies, site preparation, interior and exterior film installations and sealant applications.”

Braisted adds that “phase one schools are complete, phase two schools are complete or in process, phase three installations are starting now and phase four schools are in the process of measuring for a film that needs to be specially cut to fit.”

The International Window Film Association (IWFA) cautions against using security films as the sole protector against ballistics. According to the IWFA, safety or security film should not be a primary component of bullet-resistant glazing but should be used in conjunction with it.

Wade Arnold, commercial sales director for Specialty Fenestration Group, owner of Quikserv and U.S. Bullet Proofing, agrees.

“… Security film is purely coating on the inside or the exterior of the glass panes,” he says. “Window film companies will tell you, ‘Oh, bullets can go through it, but you won’t be able to push the glass in.’ That’s great, but I have a hole in my chest, but at least the glass held together.”