Knox County Schools officials told the commission on Oct. 27 that enhancing student safety has been a major district priority, and they described a series of investments and operational changes intended to reduce risk. Garfield Adams, assistant superintendent of operations, and Chief Granillo, the district's new chief of safety, presented the update and accepted commissioners' questions about training, technology and multi‑agency coordination.

Adams said the district now has "a highly trained, bonded officer in every 1 of our schools," adding that the district comprises 91 schools. He said the district has individualized safety plans for each site; a formal threat‑assessment process; a "text‑to‑tip" reporting tool on student devices; bus‑ride checks for drivers; and a rebranding of the unit as a "safety division" to emphasize prevention and student supports. Adams characterized the 3,309 incidents logged in 2024–25 as a broad set of reports across 60,000 students and 10,800,000 square feet of campus footprint, noting many reports are screened as non‑credible or transient through the threat‑assessment process.

Chief Granillo said the district is the third‑largest in Tennessee and described the safety department as the state's largest school‑safety operation. "Our greatest resource is a highly trained armed officer," he said, adding that officers also serve as daily mentors and are integrated into planning and drills. He described increased multi‑agency tabletop and field exercises with KPD, Knox County Sheriff's Office, Tennessee Highway Patrol, FBI and other federal and state partners and said the district has "supercharged" interagency drills since his arrival.

Adams highlighted physical‑security investments paid for by county and grant funds, including perimeter fencing, bollards, camera upgrades, window blast film installed across school buildings and a plan to pilot weapons‑detection technology for potential scaling. On bus safety, the district reported 208 bus‑ride checks and a program that rates driver performance.

Commissioners praised the district's investments and asked about timelines for new technology and how threat‑assessment outcomes are handled. Commissioner Jay asked whether weapons‑detection systems could be operational by the 2026–27 school year; Adams said the district is in the vetting process and will seek to implement a solution but could not promise a specific vendor or date. Both Adams and Granillo emphasized layered approaches — training, relationships between staff and students, physical hardening, technology pilots and shared protocols with law enforcement — and invited commissioners to meet with staff for deeper, off‑line briefings.

No formal action was required at the meeting; commissioners expressed appreciation and directed staff to keep the commission informed as pilots and training evolve.