DWS Announces April Students, Teacher, and Employee of the Month

May 6, 2024
By: Bill Conger

DeKalb West School today (May 6) announced the Students, Teachers, and Employee of the Month for April. 4th grade teacher Cathleen Humphrey was selected as the Teacher of the Month while School Psychologist Lindsey Knight was chosen as the Employee of the Month.

Congratulations to Students of the Month: Noah Ellis, PreK, Elijah Pitt, Kindergarten; Oliver Moore, 1st grade, Weston Hancock, 2nd grade, Vaylee Ellis, 3rd grade, Katy Jo Bowen, 4th grade, Karson Mullinax, 5th grade, Zane Griffith, 6th grade, Bella Gonzalez, 7th grade, and Camille Barton, 8th grade. Students are chosen based on academics, character, and other traits that make for an excellent student.

1645 Pictured front row left to right: Noah Ellis, Weston Hancock, Oliver Moore, and Elijah Pitt. Back row left to right: Assistant Principal Seth Willoughby, Vaylee Ellis, Katy Jo Bowen, Bella Gonzalez, Camille Barton, Zane Griffith, Karson Mullinax, and Principal Sabrina Farler.

1643 Pictured left to right are Principal Sabrina Farler, Lindsey Knight, Cathleen Humphrey, and Assistant Principal Seth Willoughby.

May 6, 2024
By: Dwayne Page

An 18-year-old motorcycle operator was airlifted Friday after a crash on West Broad Street in front of Larry’s Discount Grocery.

According to the Tennessee Highway Patrol, Taylor Peery was on a 1998 Suzuki JS1 motorcycle traveling east at a high rate of speed in the left lane of Highway 70 when the bike struck a 2011 Ford Ranger pickup, driven by 76-year-old John Rigsby, who was pulling out of Larry’s Grocery turning west onto Highway 70.

After the motorcycle hit the front side of the truck, Peery was thrown over the hood of the pickup and came to rest in the roadway. Peery, wearing a helmet, was injured and taken by DeKalb EMS to the hospital then airlifted to Vanderbilt Hospital. Rigsby, wearing his seatbelt, was not hurt. Charges are pending the outcome of the investigation.

In addition to the THP and DeKalb EMS, members of the Smithville Police and Fire Departments were also on the scene.

May 5, 2024
By: Dwayne Page

Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee has signed legislation allowing teachers and school staff in the state to be armed in school buildings and campuses.

State lawmakers approved the bill which authorizes a faculty or staff member of a school to carry a concealed handgun on school grounds, subject to certain conditions including having approval from the principal and others to possess a gun.

In Tennessee, school personnel who want to carry a concealed weapon must:

• Get an enhanced carry permit

• Get written authorization from the superintendent, principal and the chief of the appropriate law enforcement agency

• Complete 40 hours of basic training in school policing and 40 hours of Peace Officer’s Standards and Training commission-approved training that is specific to school policing each year at the educator’s expense

• Complete a background check

• Undergo a psychological exam conducted by a Tennessee-licensed health care provider

The law does not, however, allow people to openly carry weapons “or in any other manner in which the handgun is visible to ordinary observation,” and does not allow handguns to be carried in “stadiums, gymnasiums, or auditoriums when school-sponsored events are in progress,” nor in meetings where tenure or disciplinary matters are being discussed. Also, parents would not necessarily know or be notified if their child’s teacher were armed.

State Representative Michael Hale of DeKalb County said he supported the legislation, and he explained why in an interview with WJLE.

“This bill was written by one of the people with the sheriff’s association and I had a conversation with a couple of chiefs, sheriff, and one of our county mayors that would be greatly affected by this. One of the reasons I voted for it is that it gives control back to the local governments for the decision to be made between the school system, sheriff, and principal. They are able to make the decision whether they want to do this or not,” he said

According to Representative Hale, the new law will enhance security and give support to SRO’s in schools, particularly in isolated rural areas.

“We (state legislature) passed the SRO bill last year which gives $75,000 per officer and pays for those officers and covers that but, for example on any given day in Cannon County we have three schools that are totally unprotected. They have no SRO in those schools making them a wide-open target every day with the students, teachers, and faculty,” said Representative Hale.

“Concerns remain even for those rural schools that do have an SRO but are several minutes away from town (county seat) such as DeKalb West School at Liberty or Defeated Creek in Smith County. If I am the shooter and I go into these places I know I have only one (armed) person (SRO) to take down,” Hale explained.

“This goes back to what happened at Covenant (Nashville) last year. In part of her writings, she (shooter) looked at doing Opry Mills and at other schools but the fact that there were armed people there was what deterred her from targeting those. She had also tracked out how long it would take police and back up to get there,” Representative Hale continued.

“One of the things I think people don’t realize was that in 2016 or 2017 a bill was passed by the state legislature for distressed counties where people were allowed to carry in schools with only a concealed permit. College professors were able to be armed. That’s been on the books for several years. I didn’t even know that until we started working through this but this new law with the stricter parameters is far greater than what was done in 2016-17”.

“I just feel like having extra security is a win for our students and faculty. Its an extra safeguard. Plus, there are so many parameters. They (teachers) would have to get a concealed carry permit, 40 hours of training which involves active shooter training, and the sheriff, director of schools, and principal would have to sign off on it. I just feel like this is a good thing for added security in rural counties because we are not dealing with gun violence. We are dealing with people violence, and we have to be able to guard and safeguard the best we can against these people that will do these acts,” said Representative Hale.