School Resource Officers in Tennessee
April 2021
Author: Paige Donaldson
In 2019, the General Assembly appropriated $20 million in nonrecurring funds for school resource officer (SRO) grants to increase the number of SROs in schools without such positions. SROs in Tennessee are duly sworn and authorized law enforcement officers, employed by a sheriff or police department, who meet all state training standards.
SRO grants supported the placement of 213 new, full-time SROs in Tennessee schools during the 2019-20 school year, the first year of a two-year grant commitment. A list of districts that received SRO grant funding during the 2019-20 school year is included in OREA’s new legislative brief. The grant application process and eligibility requirements are also explained in the brief.