When Yadira Calderon, a parent of a high schooler at Metro Nashville Public Schools, heard the bill had passed on Tuesday, April 23, she said her heart immediately began pounding in her chest as she wondered, "What is going on?"
A worker who wants to carry a handgun would need to have a handgun carry permit, have written authorization from both the school s principal and local law enforcement, clear a background check and undergo 40 hours of handgun training.
Between humble salaries, violence in their classrooms and increasing demands by states, teachers are leaving classrooms in droves and schools are being forced to hire more unprepared educators.
The Tennessee Education Association filed the challenge Monday over the two-pronged law, which also gradually raises the minimum teacher salary up to $50,000 for the 2026-2027 school year.