Safety

SchoolMessenger Quick Tip is a tool for students, parents, community members and staff to anonymously report concerns to school administrators. This reporting tool is intended to provide a venue to report sensitive incidents such as bullying, harassment, intimidation, peer pressure, or any other concern someone may not feel comfortable reporting in person. We encourage people with concerns to contact their building principal directly, but we also recognize the sensitive nature of some circumstances, and want to provide this avenue for anonymity. Submitters can choose to include their contact information on the site if they would like.

Submitters should provide as much detail as possible to allow administrators to look into the matter. The site will ask you to select the appropriate School and Topic before submitting your tip. Administrators in the district receive the tip via email and take action or investigate as appropriate. For emergencies, please call 911.

Safety Hotline

A 24-hour HOTLINE is also available to assist in preventing and controlling violence. The HOTLINE is accessible to everyone and it can be used by the students of the Hamilton County School system. It provides the opportunity to report potentially threatening incidents involving other students and/or persons. The identity of callers can remain anonymous.

The safety HOTLINE will be answered by an employee of Crime Stoppers. Calls can be made at any time 24-hours a day, seven days a week. ALL CALLS WILL RECEIVE IMMEDIATE ATTENTION.

SAFETY HOTLINE 423-698-3333

Safety and Security Office

Vaughn Crane – Director of Safety and Security
3074 Hickory Valley Rd Chattanooga, TN 37421
(423) 498-7185

Crystal Kirk – Administrative Assistant
(423) 843 4770

Mike Griffith – Student Safety Coordinator
(423) 344-1450

Ron Cramer – IT Safety Coordinator
(423) 498-6578

The safety and security officer is responsible for providing armed security at the Elementary Schools and working with Hamilton County Sheriffs Department to ensure the presence of an armed officer on every HCDE campus.

Safety/Security Department is also responsible for the cameras in all of our schools and the security doors on all buildings. Our officers monitor campus using both cameras and physical patrol daily.

Tim Harper – Manager, Safety Compliance/Environmental Safety (423) 498-7272 ext. 23018

Chandler Coley – Safety Inspector Officer
(423) 498-7269

The HCDE office of Safety/Compliance are involved in the following responsibilities:

• Building safety & inspection
• Playground safety & inspection
• Indoor air quality issues
• Asbestos compliance
• Emergency planning
• Accident investigation
• Employee safety training
• Employee concerns regarding safety/health
• Review arrival and dismissal traffic plans when requested
• Sequoyah nuclear plant emergency plans
• Fire code issues (fire evacuation plans; work with state and local fire marshals; fire extinguisher & kitchen hood suppression system inspections & maintenance)
• TOSHA compliance
• Science chemical issues
• Environmental compliance (EPA; Chattanooga-Hamilton Co Air Pollution Control Bureau; Hamilton Co. Storm Water; Hamilton Co Health Dept)

Safety Drills – One armed intruder drill annually in coordination with local law enforcement.

Tennessee Code Annotated 68-102-137(f) also directs that each principal conduct at least three (3) safety drills not requiring full evacuation of all persons from their building(s) during the school year. The minimum of the three safety drills can include a combination of a tornado drill, intruder drill (lockdown), earthquake drill, or shelter in place drill.

A record of all drills, including the time and date, shall be kept in the respective school and shall be made available upon request to the fire marshal for inspection and review.

Additionally, schools within a certain radius of the Sequoyah Nuclear Plant have designated evacuation sites in the event of an emergency.

Fire Drills – All schools must conduct fire drills requiring full evacuation at least one time every 30 school days, with two fire drills occurring during the first 30 full days of school year per Tennessee Code Annotated 68-102-137(b). Additionally, four fire safety educational announcements will be conducted throughout the year. Schools within the Chattanooga city limits must conduct two fire evacuation drills each month of the school year per Chattanooga City Code Sec. 17-34.

In the unlikely event of a problem at Sequoyah Nuclear Plant, schools within a ten mile radius of the plant would be evacuated to a school safely outside of the ten-mile radius. Please click the link below to determine your paired school.

Sequoyah Nuclear Plant Paired School List

Contact Information:

Dr. Robert Sharpe, Chief Operations Officer
Office: 423-498-7023

Lori Bledsoe, Administrative Assistant, Sr.
Office: 423-498-7023

Vaughn Crane, Director of School Safety and Security
Office: 423-498-7185

Mike Griffith, Student Safety Coordinator
Office: 423-344-1450

Crystal Kirk, Administrative Assistant
Office: 423-843-4770