001Mhm. >> Mhm. >> Welcome to the Board of Education's April 9th, 2026 regular session meeting. Please stand as we observe a moment of silence followed by the pledge of allegiance led by Mr. Wright. Attention. Pledge. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Thank you, Mr. Wright. As Superintendent Riswick announced at Monday's work session, a community budget meeting will be held on Tuesday, April 14th at 5:00 p.m. in this boardroom. Also, just another reminder that we will convene in a called meeting to consider the fiscal year 2027 budget on Thursday, April 23rd at 5:00 p.m. and again in this boardroom. Are there any requested changes to this agenda? Motion by Ms. Henderson
002a second by Mr. Triplett. All in favor say I. Any opposed? Motion carries. Ms. Courtney. Thank you, Madam Chair. Item five, consent agenda. Motion [clears throat] by Ms. Henderson, a second by Mr. Triplett. Discussion? All in favor say I. Any opposed? Motion carries. 6A, pre-first reading for Knox County Board of Education policy J190, code of behavior and discipline as amended. Motion by Ms. Henderson, a second by Mr. Triplett. Discussion? All in favor say I. >> I have something? Sorry. You're talking about 190, right? Okay. >> Yes, 190. Okay, great. Um you have a Sorry, I was in the mid-scroll, and so my head was all over the place. Let me pull this down. Okay, I have a request. Um I completely understand why we're moving this information from policy into procedure. Um but in so
003doing, I feel as though we're losing a little bit of transparency and communication when issues of um changes in disciplinary action happen. And in my short time on the board, that is one of the more common questions that parents have because of the direct interaction with their kids. So, I had a request, and I did talk to Ms. Waltner about this, and we've um I just want to open it up to conversation to include something in the policy or the procedure that says the board will be notified if there is a change. I understand that there wouldn't be a vote on it, but I think just raising awareness about it um helps us be more transparent to the community as well as helps us answer questions when things come up. Uh thank you, Madam Chair,
004Ms. Templeton. Um yes, Ms. Templeton, I I don't I don't disagree with you. Um and I don't I don't think we have any problem with things. As as I mentioned when we talked about this at policy review, um anytime we made any kind of significant change to this, we would clearly let you all know and make that aware. And we can definitely do that prior to the publishing of that uh through Ms. Courtney on our website. As we shared with you all, we we feel like we try to be as transparent as possible. We are one of the few districts that does publish our procedure manual for everyone to be able to see. Uh most districts do not that do not do that because public the policy is what's required. Uh but we try to
005be as transparent as possible. And again, the purpose of this really was just to ease that um when we need to make revisions, there are oftentimes law change, there's language change, and when we have those July updates, rather than having to bring this policy back cuz this is one we bring back every single year that then has to go through two more readings to get the approval before school starts. Um we thought this was just an easier way to do that, but obviously any of those changes, you know, we would inform you all as we do with so many other things. Right. And and I'll kick it to Ms. Waltner in just a second. The reason I'm asking for this is not because I um question anybody in this room. It's really more setting us
006up that precedent for anyone who comes after us that there are communications back to the board. Ms. Templeton, uh Madam Chair, uh members of the board, I would echo everything that Dr. Brown just said, and then I do want to call your attention to a document that's in front of you. So, this would be an example of what we anticipate uh administrative procedure J190 looking like with the migration of the language from J191 into administrative procedure. You all have seen this already at the last policy review meeting, but I want to call your attention to a change on page five. So, Ms. Templeton had reached out earlier this week just to raise um this conversation around how can we embed a layer of transparency into the formalization of this move. And so, you'll see on
007page five, lines 37-38, just that commitment uh laid out in procedure that staff will notify the board five days prior to any published change. And so, that is something that we would anticipate honoring, um and it would be incumbent upon us to then honor that once it is published in the administrative procedure moving forward. We would not make the change to administrative procedure until the proposed changes to the board policies J190 and J191 are passed on second reading. Right, so this is a change in understanding that um this is happening, this line is being added to the procedure and not into the board policy. So, it's just making everybody aware that we will know when it happens, so the general public will know as well. Mr. Triplett. I I like it, and there may be
008even a couple other procedures that we would like to be notified on what those would be necessarily, but the question I had is because we're adding it to procedures, we don't vote on procedures. I mean, not that they would, they could just take this out of procedure tomorrow and not notify us because they don't have to. I mean, you know, just from from the way it works, does this statement then really actually need to be live in policy to be really enforceable if if you want to call it that, to to actually be worth something? Currently, it's just words on paper that is not enforceable anywhere because we didn't we can't vote on it. They've just chose to written in to write it in procedure for us, but also it's not really if they don't,
009it's not like we can go, "Hey, we voted on this." So, I can chime in if uh if that's all right. I will say that this is the exact same conversation Ms. Templeton and I had earlier this week, and the decision was made to present a procedure option to you all for a couple of reasons. The first is that using the policy manual um to provide that layer of granularity is not necessarily the best use of policy. It then kind of begs the question to you of which policies are you going to kind of carve out that mandate for, why those, why not others? Um and so, that's one consideration. The more practical consideration, honestly, is that when procedure's being amended, you're looking at the procedure. And so, having that language written into the document
010that you would actively be revising to know, "Oh, there's also this parameter that necessitates notification." Uh really just puts it front and center and make sure that if we all get hit by a bus tomorrow, um or, you know, at that point in time when it's not us sitting around these tables, that knowledge is preserved in the the space that is most front and center. I will also say um just from a a transparency standpoint and what commits staff to maintaining um this line and and uh following this mandate here, at the end of the day, is it possible that we change the procedure and do not notify the board? It would be, but at that point in time, you have on the public record this conversation. You have the commitment that the language is
011going in, and then that would be an instance in which staff was acting out of compliance with their own administrative procedures. And that would be something that I would assume from a board standpoint you all would consider actionable, and that was a conversation you would want to raise with the superintendent. So, in terms of what layer of certainty um could we potentially provide to the board, I would say we should provide that layer of certainty to the board in terms of any administrative procedure that that is our commitment to you that we are following the procedure. All right. So, any other? Ms. Pike. Thank you. Um this is going to seem a little bit like beating a dead horse. I'm so sorry. But um so, this line lives in this procedure, but it doesn't live
012in every procedure. So, we all get hit by a bus tomorrow, how do the people that come on in the future know that this one lives here if it only lives here and not in all of them? Ms. Pike, members of the board, I believe the request is that the notification be specific to changes for this procedure. So, that would be in your um your distinction is well put in that we are not committing to notifying the board of every change in procedure. We are certainly absolutely willing to entertain that. I'm not sure you want that necessarily. That would be high volume of communication. >> is how often do all do all procedures get changed? Is it like every week? It not I would not say every week. Um I would say that there are
013peaks and valleys, and part of the consideration behind, you know, is it every procedure, and this is something we discussed as well, really is a question of how much do you want to zero in on this procedure. So, this is one that we anticipate board receiving questions about, and we want to make sure it's front and center for you all when we make those changes. The reason this was, you know, an easy conversation for us is going back to exactly what Dr. Brown said, we would anticipate notifying you all anyway of changes to this procedure because it is so sensitive. So, that makes sure that it doesn't get lost in the shuffle. If we are communicating every change in procedure to the board, you always run that risk um because especially going into the summer
014months and early fall months, you'll have all of that reflected language and change to state law. Sometimes guidance and regulations follow a little bit behind changes to you um to the law, and so you'll probably see another uptick around November, December, um sometimes even January when we receive guidance from the state kind of interpreting laws that have since changed. And so, it really is peaks and valleys. Um, but it's probably more frequent than would lend itself to changes to this procedure, um, being prominent is what I would say. I think it's going to be very prominent if you isolate this procedure and like Mr. Triplett said, one or two others. Uh, it could potentially get lost in the shuffle if we do all of them. Yeah. Okay. That makes a lot of sense. Thank you.
015All right. Any other discussion? Okay, so we have a motion by Ms. Henderson, a second by Mr. Triplett. All in favor, say I. Any opposed? Motion carries. 6B, approve first reading to rescind Knox County Board of Education Policy J191, Misbehaviors and Disciplinary Options. Motion by Reverend Butler, a second by Ms. Templeton. Discussion. All in favor, say I. Any opposed? Motion carries. 6C, approve first reading of Knox County Board of Education Policy J193, Student Suspension, as amended. Motion by Ms. Henderson, a second by Mr. Triplett. Discussion. All in favor, say I. Any opposed? Motion carries. 6D, approve first reading of Knox County Board of Education Policy J195, Student Disciplinary Hearing Authority, as amended. Motion by Dr. Butler, a second by Ms. Templeton. Discussion. All in favor, say I. Any opposed? Motion carries. 6E, approve first reading
016of Knox County Board of Education Policy J196, Admission of Suspended or Expelled Students, as amended. Motion by Ms. Henderson, a second by Mr. Triplett. Discussion. All in favor, say I. Any opposed? Motion carries. 6F, approve first reading of Knox County Board of Education Policy Policy J211, Harassment, Intimidation, and Bullying or Cyberbullying, as amended. Motion by Dr. Butler, a second by Ms. Templeton. Discussion. All in favor, say I. Any opposed? Motion carries. 6G, approve first reading of Knox County Board of Education Policy J212, Student Conduct and Safe Relocation of Students, as amended. Motion by Ms. Henderson, a second by Mr. Triplett. Discussion. All in favor, say I. Any opposed? Motion carries. 6H, approve first reading of Knox County Board of Education Policy J250, Bus Conduct, as amended. Motion by Dr. Butler, a second by Ms. Templeton.
017Discussion. All in favor, say I. Any opposed? Motion carries. 6I, approve first reading of Knox County Board of Education Policy J280, Alternative School Programs, as amended. Motion by Ms. Henderson, a second by Mr. Triplett. Sensing a pattern here. All in favor, say I. Any opposed? Motion carries. 6J, approve first reading of Knox County Board of Education Policy J281, Alternative School Services, as amended. Motion by Dr. Butler, a second by Ms. Templeton. Discussion. All in favor, say I. Any opposed? Motion carries. 6K, approve first reading of Knox County Board of Education Policy J320, Independent Evaluation of Students, as amended. Motion by Ms. Henderson, a second by Mr. Triplett. Discussion. All in favor, say I. Any opposed? Motion carries. 6L, approve first reading of Knox County Board of Education Policy J330, Student Counseling Program, as amended. Motion
018by Dr. Butler, a second by Ms. Templeton. Discussion. All in favor, say I. Any opposed? Motion carries. 7A, approve Tennessee Department of Education Occupational Educator Scholarships in the amount of $24,600 for eligible candidates in the Knox County Schools Educator Preparation Program. Motion by Ms. Henderson, a second by Mr. Triplett. Discussion. All in favor, say I. Any opposed? Motion carries. 7B, approve Memorandum of Agreements with the Boys and Girls Clubs of the Tennessee Valley, Shades of Development, Shore Foundation, and Wesley House Community Center, in support of their Lottery for Education Afterschool Programs Grant Applications. Motion by Dr. Butler, a second by Ms. Templeton. Discussion. All in favor, say I. >> [snorts] >> Any opposed? Motion carries. 7C, approve Tennessee Hospitality and Tourism Beef Bucks Grants in the total amount of $1,000 for Austin-East Magnet High School
019and Karns High School. Motion by Dr. Butler, a second by Ms. Henderson. Discussion. All in favor, say I. Any opposed? Motion carries. 7D, approve grant agreements with the National Environmental Education Foundation and receipt of grant funding in the total amount of $35,000 for Belle Morris Elementary School, Green Magnet Academy, South-Doyle Middle School, and Spring Hill Elementary School. Motion by Ms. Fontenot Ridley, a second by Ms. Templeton. Discussion. All in favor, say I. Any opposed? Motion carries. 7E, approve National Park Trust Kids to Parks Day School Grants in the total amount of $1,500 for Belle Morris Elementary School and South-Doyle High School. Motion by Ms. Templeton, a second by Ms. Fontenot Ridley. Discussion. All in favor, say I. Any opposed? Motion carries. 7F, approve Tennessee Society of Professional Engineers Knoxville Chapter Gears Program Grant in the
020amount of $1,000 for Holston Middle School. Motion by Mr. Wright, a second by Ms. Fontenot Ridley. Discussion. All in favor, say I. Any opposed? Motion carries. 7G, approve Guitar Center Music Foundation Instrument Program Grant in the amount of $1,500 for Karns Middle School. Motion by Ms. Henderson, a second by Ms. Fontenot Ridley. Discussion. All in favor, say I. Any opposed? Motion carries. 7H, approve regranting fiscal sponsorship agreement with the Edward Charles Foundation related to a Johnny Knoxville Charity Fundraiser for South-Doyle High School Athletics and Academics. So, uh, motion by Ms. Fontenot Ridley, a second by Ms. Morgan. Discussion. All in favor, say I. Any opposed? Motion carries. 8A, approve contract with Professional Environmental Consulting, Incorporated, for provision of asbestos monitoring services up to $200,000 annually for the term of May 1, 2026 through April 30,
0212027, which may be extended for four additional years. Motion by Ms. Henderson, a second by Mr. Triplett. Discussion. All in favor, say I. Any opposed? Motion carries. 8B, approve contract with Skilled Services Quality Construction, LLC, in the amount of $262,100 for Innovative School Model Phase 4 projects at Austin-East Magnet High School, Fulton High School, and West Valley Middle School. Motion by Dr. Butler, a second by Ms. Morgan. Discussion. All in favor, say I. Any opposed? Motion carries. 9A, approve budget line item transfer within the school construction fund in the amount of $8,410,406 to reallocate savings from various projects to support the Mechanicsville, Lonsdale, Beaumont project. Motion by Dr. Butler, a second by Ms. Templeton. Discussion. All in favor, say I. Any opposed? Motion carries. 9B, approve School Turnaround Program School Improvement Plan for Northwest Middle
022School. Motion by Ms. Henderson, a second by Ms. Templeton. Discussion. All in favor, say I. Any opposed? Motion carries. 9C, accept petition from Prep Public Schools to terminate the Knoxville Preparatory School Charter School Agreement. Motion by Ms. Spike, a second by Ms. Templeton. Discussion. All in favor, say I. Any opposed? Motion carries. Uh, public forum, Mr. Wright. Thank you, Madam Chair. We have four public forum speakers this evening. Uh, first will be Gavin Gamboza. Mr. Gamboza, please state your name and county of residence. You'll have 3 minutes. Gavin Gamboza, Knox County. Now, I want to look at you I want you to look at that number. 18,041 days. That is how long the Gibson family has lived with the silence that would break any spirit of any man or woman in this room. I'm talking
023about Trenny Lynn Gibson. It's been 50 years since that girl went out on a school sanctioned field trip by the school system and never came home. For half a century, while bureaucrats sat in comfortable chairs and shuffled papers, that family has lived with a hollow ache. I came before you recently and asked for a simple, Christian act of decency, a formal apology. I didn't think I'd have to ask twice. But let me tell you, this board's silence is getting so loud, it's starting to ring in the ears of every decent person in Knox County. I know exactly what's going on behind those closed doors. I can hear the lawyers and the policy experts whispering in your ears right now. They're shaking their heads and fretting about liability. They're worried that if you show a shred
024of human compassion, someone might send you a bill. Well, I have a message for those high-priced consultants. There is a liability far greater than any court of law, and that is the liability of a hardened heart. You cannot be sued for being a decent human being, and it's a crying shame in the year 2026 I have to stand here and explain the concept of common courtesy to an elected body. You don't need a legal brief, and you don't need a committee study to tell you a grieving mother to tell a grieving mother that you're sorry for her daughter was lost on her watch. All you need is a backbone and a moral clarity of a Sunday school student. So, I'm putting you in squire in squire-ty tonight. No more hide-and-seek. No more ducking in the
025tall grass of procedure to avoid what is right. I'm calling on this board right now, right now, to put a formal resolution on the very next agenda. I want a a full public and unvarnished apology to the Gibson family. Not because it's easy, and certainly not because the lawyers like it, but because it is your duty before God and the people of this county. The folks are watching. They want to see if you have the courage and compassion over red tape. And let me leave you with something. You didn't hire a superintendent just to be a manager of paperwork and a balance of budgets. We expect a leader in this county to have a moral compass that points north even when the wind is blowing. And if they can't find that simple act of courage,
026then God help Knox County. Thank you. Madam Chair. While we normally don't respond during public forum, I'm going to take a some personal privilege here. And just say, thank you, Mr. [clears throat] Gambuzza, for bringing this to our attention. Um as a parent of daughters, I can't imagine the grief and uncertainty that um Trini's mother and family have endured over the last 50 years. Um I know this occurred decades ago and under a very different structure. Um I think we can all recognize the profound and lasting um impact this has had on on her family and friends and and loved ones, as well as the importance of treating this matter with the care and respect that it deserves. So, thank you for bringing it to our attention. Thank you, Madam Chair. Next is Buck Fleming.
027Buck, if you could just please state your name and county of residence, you'll have 3 minutes. All right. Good evening. Buck Fleming, um Knox County resident, District 4. Uh we would all agree that bullying is never okay. We'd agree it's worse when it comes from other students. But we can agree it's far worse when it comes when the bullying comes from a teacher. In the math department at West Valley Middle School, one teacher publicly shames individual students by having the class point at them and say, "Shame, shame, shame." Another like it's the Game of Thrones scene. Another teacher in the math department uses something called a wheel of shame, where they have the students spin a wheel of shame when they do something they don't agree with. Let's see. This [snorts] is in complete disregard
028to Knox County policy J211. The day after I met with the principal to report this behavior, my daughter came home and told me that in her class, the shame, shame, shame class, students who had missed a quiz were booed by the entire class when they simply uh asked to make up a quiz. The same day, the teacher had the whole class point at another student and chant, "Shame, shame, shame." While my daughter wasn't the one being pointed at, and she wasn't forced to spin any wheel of shame, the just watching these incidents has made her afraid to raise her hand, afraid to ask questions, and afraid to participate in class at all. I believe this has affected her grades and her ability to learn. I reported this in writing at the beginning of March uh
029to the principals, guidance counselor, the ombudsman, and to my school board representative. We gave the school we even gave the school names of other children who were targeted. Yet they have refused to notify those other parents. Um uh they they have refused to give me any update on their investigation, hiding behind HR policy. I am convinced uh about the I am concerned about the professional culture at West Valley uh Middle School, and more specifically about an administration that is willing to hide behind HR policy instead of protecting our children. Our children come to school to learn, not to be publicly humiliated by teachers and their peers. The students and their parents deserve a direct, sincere apology both from the teacher and the school system. These teachers West Valley Middle School and Knox County Schools owe
030the students, the parents, and the community an apology for their actions, for violating and for violating this trust their trust. This kind of behavior has no place in our schools. Thank you. Thank you, Buck. Next is Candace Bannister. If you would just state your name and county of residence, you'll have 3 minutes. Candace Bannister, Knox County resident. One night during December when Will was about 4, we were going out to a holiday dinner with some other families. I was getting ready when Will bounded into the room. He took one look at me and said, "Mom, you need to get your contacts and put on your lipstick, and you will be beautiful." I melted on the spot. There is nothing so sweet as your little boy thinking you look beautiful. In June of 2024, I went
031directly to the superintendent and explained my concerns regarding the admin being named to chief of schools. Dr. Rysewyk said he was unaware of any of the issues I raised and would have to look around to see if he could find some folks who knew anything about what I was saying. I knew people who knew, and 2 days there were 11 people who wanted to share their concerns, but the superintendent said he didn't need to hear what they had to say as he'd already given that position to that admin. I did not question the super when he said he was unaware of my concerns, but since that time, I've heard him use the phrase, "I am unaware" or "I was not aware" when it seems he doesn't want to say what he knows about a subject.
032The superintendent claimed he knew nothing about the concerns at Farragut High School, where there were six suicides in this admin's 3 years at the school, and he chose not to hear what 11 people wanted to tell him. Everybody in the whole of Knox County was aware there was a problem at Farragut High School, except Dr. Rysewyk, who was the assistant superintendent and chief academic officer at the time of those suicides. Recently, the super had one of his lunches in Farragut. I attended with friends. I joked with Dr. Rysewyk that I couldn't pass up lunch with him when I was in with him when it was within walking distance of my house, but I wouldn't go across town to somebody else's meeting. He told me about a meeting he had at Northshore, where a teacher from
033Carter attended. Dr. Rysewyk spoke to him and called him by name. The guy was surprised that the superintendent knew his name, but Dr. Rysewyk told the guy they had served on a committee together 5 years ago. Of course, he remembered his name. He remembered the name of a person he served on a committee with 5 years ago, but he doesn't remember the issues surrounding six suicides at Farragut, nor the 43 written concerns written to central office regarding this man. I was shocked when he said he didn't need to hear what those 11 people wanted to tell him, and that he was moving forward with the promotion. Words flew out of my mouth. I told him that if he was going to move forward with this promotion, that I was going to do everything within my
034power to make him as uncomfortable as I possibly could. He said he understood and respected that. So, I've been coming to tell you our story. Friends watch to see what happens when I come to speak. Sometimes the super clears his throat, takes a drink of water, looks down at his desk, picks up his phone, but he rarely watches as I speak. I hope it's because what I'm saying is making him as uncomfortable as I possibly can. My older son says he is putting his head in the sand because he doesn't want to hear what I have to say. I really don't know his reasoning, but I do know if I were in his shoes, there's no way I could sleep at night knowing I had promoted a bully to a high-level position without ever hearing
035what other people wanted to tell me about this administrator, especially after telling the mother of a dead 16-year-old child that I knew nothing about her concerns. Thank you. Thank you, Candace. Next is Sherry Garrett. Sherry, if you would you'll have 3 minutes. Thank you. My name is Sherry Garrett, and I live in Knox County. Uh the policy and and proclamation I'm going to be talking about I sent to all of you an email earlier uh last week, and Dr. Wilson and Dr. Rysewyk I sent that to you earlier today. Um I'm a nurse, a mother, a grandmother, and the chapter chair of Moms for Liberty in Knox County. I deeply care about the future of our children and our schools. And as a nurse, I've spent my life advocating for people when it matters most,
036and I see this is no different. Artificial intelligence is no longer something that is coming in the future. It's already here in our classrooms. While it has the potential to enhance learning and support teachers, it also raises serious concerns that we cannot afford to ignore. This is not about stopping innovation. It's about making sure innovation is done responsibly. Right now, there are important questions that remain unanswered. What student data is being collected, and who has access to it? Are parents being informed and given the opportunity to consent? Are these tools being used to support teachers or replace them? And most importantly, who is shaping what our children learn, educators or algorithms? We must be clear. No algorithm should replace a teacher's judgment. No platform should should shape a child's world view. No AI system should
037interact with students without transparency, accountability, and parental involvement. The model policy that I sent you all earlier this last week, um before you offers a balanced common-sense approach. It ensures human oversight in all AI use. It protects student data and privacy. It requires parental notification and consent. And it makes clear that AI is a tool, not a decision-maker. At its core, this is about something very simple. Parents deserve to know what is influencing their children, and they deserve a voice in it. We are not asking you to reject technology. We are asking you to lead with wisdom, to put guardrails in place now before problems arise. Because once these systems are fully embedded, it will be much harder to pull back. You have an opportunity to not to take a proactive step to ensure that
038AI in our schools serves students, supports teachers, and respects families. I urge you to adopt the policy and proclamation, and to make it clear that in this district, students come first, parents have a voice, and technology will always remain a tool, not the authority. Thank you. Thank you, Sherry. Madam Chair, that concludes public forum. All right. Thank you, Mr. Wright. And with that, we are adjourned.