Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacob’s Weekly Update

Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacob’s Weekly Update.

TRANSCRIPT:

“It's Friday. Time for another weekly update. Unfortunately, there have been a rash of threats against schools in east Tennessee over the past week. In Knox County, numerous students have been arrested for these threats. Over the years, Knox County Schools have made numerous upgrades to security. We have had cameras, access control, and single-point-of-entry for years at our schools. Probably most importantly, we also have armed officers in our schools here. I will tell you that law enforcement takes these threats very seriously and making a threat against a school is a crime in Tennessee.

It takes a lot of resources to investigate school threats. Meanwhile, parents and loved ones are rightfully, very concerned about the well-being of their students. The safety of our students and school staff is a paramount concern and anyone making threats against our schools will face serious consequences. This week, I welcomed the annual All4Knox meeting and update and spoke to the senior class at Powell High School. And, along with the rest of my office, we had a clean-up day at the Freedmen’s Cemetery at Knoxville College for the 911 National Day of Service.

Speaking of clean ups, you can join our Knox County Parks team and our Adopt-a-Park partners for a county-wide park cleanup in conjunction with National Clean-up Day! This year NCD falls on September 21st and registration for the cleanup can be found by searching Knox County Parks and Recreation on Give Pulse or Just Serve volunteer platforms.

September is Library Card Sign-Up Month! There's no better time to stop by any of our library locations and sign up. It's free to apply, you'll just need an I.D. and proof of Knox County address, and if you live out of the county you can still get a card for a small fee. Tomorrow’s UT football game against Kent State will feature the return of orange britches as the Vols will be clad in orange uniforms with white helmets, an iconic look for the Big Orange. I hope everyone enjoys the game, and until next Friday, I hope everyone has a great week.”