Following a deadly school shooting at a Nashville elementary school Monday, school security is on the mind of many.
Tuesday we spoke to a Hamilton County School Board member who says they are continuing to improve security measures.
She added that the community plays a big part in safety too.
“I feel responsible for 45,000 students in Hamilton County, I take that responsibility very seriously. And I feel the weight of it," says Jill Black.
Hamilton County School Board member Jill Black says plans are in place to tighten school security in Hamilton County, including investments in hardened entrances.
"To where when a visitor comes to the school, they don't immediately have access to the student population. They're routed towards the school office," says Black.
Black says it’s a very heavy thing to think about, as a school board member and a mother.
“We're all worried," says Black.
And the push for security improvements comes at the right time.
Tuesday, for the second time in a week, Hamilton County has seen a student at Red Bank Middle face charges for making a threat.
The unidentified student is now faced with a charge of threat of mass violence on school property, which is a class A misdemeanor.
Black said there are many measures in place to ensure school safety in Hamilton County such as more school security officers, and multiple projects she was not able to disclosed.
But she says it’s going to take the whole community to really see change.
“This is bigger than what we can do at the school board. It takes all of us coming together and really deciding that we want something different," says Black.
Jill Black also said a vote last spring provided hired school security officers for every single school in Hamilton County.
"They are there to provide security on every single campus that we have," says Black.
She noted they are specifically hired by the county and trained to work with kids.