Covenant School returns with heightened security measures on first day back
By Joylyn Bukovac
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NASHVILLE, Tennessee (WSMV) — The Covenant School resumed classes on Wednesday, marking a new school year after months of planning and collaboration between school administration, a local church and a security company.
Over the summer, Covert Results, the company responsible for safeguarding Covenant students, equipped their officers with bulletproof backpacks and emergency supplies. The security company’s owner said they worked tirelessly throughout the summer to ensure the school’s security measures were comprehensive and up-to-date.
The school will continue to have officers present at each school day. Officers will watch for any potential security threat and run license plates as needed.
The officer’s responsibility will also extend past the Covenant School. Officers will use their security technology not only at the school’s temporary location at Brentwood Hills Church of Christ but also across dozens of other private and charter schools they serve throughout the state of Tennessee.
The security company equipped its officers with the tools they need to respond effectively to emergencies.
One notable edition is the ballistic backpack, a crucial element designed to enhance officer readiness. The backpacks contain tourniquets and other essential emergency supplies, ensuring that officers are well-prepared to address a variety of situations.
Robert Young, a retired detective for the Metro Police and owner of the Covert Results, demonstrated how the new kits would be used during an emergency.
“In a situation where there could be an active threat, you would quickly put it [the bulletproof backpack] on the front,” Young said. “This allows you to access your weapon efficiently and respond swiftly toward the active threat… If you need to access anything in the bag, you can easily do open it up. You got your medical kit, you can easily throw to a victim.”
In addition to the officers, more than 100 volunteers were expected to show up on Wednesday to patrol the areas surrounding the school. Many of the volunteers signed up to help through the group, Stop Now, a nonviolence advocacy organization created by the Uvalde Foundation For Kids, which was created after the Uvalde mass shooting in May 2022.
Young has been leading the school’s security effort and has been urging volunteers to stay off the campus itself. The approach was aimed at maintaining a clear parking lot for the school’s students and staff.
“We obviously would love any help,” Young said. “But obviously I think the public understands that having 120 extra people that you didn’t intend to be at a small parking lot could present a logistical nightmare.”
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