7/10/25 KCS BOE Regular Meeting

001Welcome to the board of education's June 5th, 2025 regular session meeting. Please stand as we observe a moment of silence followed by the pledge of allegiance led by Miss Bike. the flag 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. Just a few announcements before we get into our agenda. Board members, as Superintendent Rywick reported at the work session, the newest cohort of our security officers will graduate from training on July 24th at 5:30 p.m. at South Doyle Middle School. If you have never attended that event, I encourage you to do so. It's a very impressive event and a time to honor the folks that protect our students and staffs with their lives every day. Also,

002you received an update from Superintendent Risewick yesterday, but I wanted to announce publicly that we have updated versions of amended policies for our consideration attached to the agenda. So, items 6A, 6H, and 6L, which are board policies related to insurance management, intercolastic athletics, and wireless communication devices. Are there any other requested changes to the agenda? Move to approve. A motion by Mr. Triplet, a second by Miss Christie. All those in favor say I. I. Any opposed? All right, we will start our agenda. Miss Miss Cody. Thank you, Madam Chair. Item five, consent agenda. Second. A motion by Miss Christie, second by Mr. Triplet. Do we have any discussion? Seeing there is none, all those in favor say I. I. Any opposed? All right. Motion carries. 6A. Approve second reading of Knox County Board of Education

003policy E200 Insurance Management as amended. Second. Motion by Mr. Triplet, second by Miss Christie. Miss Christie. So I I do have a question. I'm wondering about and I know we discussed this in policy review. Um let me click real quick. We do have public forum speakers on this too. So when we get to I guess item L which is the first reading was that one we needed to wave the second reading on oh for communication devices. Yes. In time to get the notifications out to for school and guidance to principles. Okay. Okay. Uh before we start discussion on 6A, we do have public forum speakers signed up for this for this item. Thank you, Madam Chair. Uh Dr. Amber Lund. And Dr. L is not a Knox County resident, but she does work in Knox

004County. Do you work for KC and on the sideline of some football games? Very good. So that will require a motion, a second, and a board vote to approve. Motion. I'll make a motion. Okay. We have a motion. Second. Okay. All those in favor say I. I. I. Very good. Sorry about all that. Yes, you you come on up. If you'll uh state your name and then you'll have three minutes to speak. Okay. Great. So, my name is Dr. Amber Lon. Um, so I'd like to thank the board for your time and your service to our community and our student athletes. Thank you for allowing me to address the board. My name is Dr. Amber Lon and I'm a pediatric primary care sports medicine physician at Knoxville Orthopedic Clinic. I'm in my 19th year serving

005as team physician to Knox County High Schools and I'm in my 14th year serving as team provider for Lady Ball's basketball. So, I'm very blessed. Um, and I thank God every day for the honor and privilege of taking care of other people's children and pray daily for wisdom to bear that responsibility. I'm so grateful to the board and to Knox County Athletic Department for choosing me and our partners to take care of your student athletes. We're very grateful for that opportunity. In my almost two decades as a provider for Knott County schools, I've cared for multiple athletes who depended on affordable school insurance to cover injuries sustained while representing Knox County schools. And I've been on the sidelines of every single Knott County high school at some point in time, but KS is where I've

006served the most. And in the past football season alone, there were 59 forms sent out to uh to file the BMI insurance for parents to use for injuries, and 17 of those resulted in surgeries. I have two specific examples of how y'all have helped um student athletes with the BMI program. Um so this past football season, a 15-year-old uh male athlete suffered a fracture dislocation of his ankle during a football game. He had to be transported via ambulance to the hospital, admitted overnight for pain control. And the following day u underwent over uh open reduction internal fixation of his fracture that required um a plate and screws. His primary insurance denied all of that coverage. BMI paid and took care for that athlete. So that that credit goes to y'all for taking care of that

007student athlete. And another athlete this football season suffered a dislocation of his shoulder and extensive tearing of the labum of his shoulder. And that did require surgical treatment to fix his labum. Um his mother had a high deductible plan. She did have private insurance but a high deductible plan and that would have created a very high financial burden for her family. That mother has lived and worked and paid taxes in Knox County for 20 years. And so she was very grateful to the board of education for providing that opportunity to file BMI claim for that because that really helped their family. So I those are just a couple of examples of student athletes that y'all have helped with your decision to require the BMI insurance and I can only imagine how difficult it must be

008to balance a financial and fiscal responsibility and solveny with a program as large as Knox County Schools. I do not envy you the decisions that you have to make. I would have a hard time making them myself, but I'm very grateful that y'all have um provided that school insurance coverage to our student athletes for all those years. And I just wanted to thank the board for your time and attention and for your great care of our student athletes. So, thank you very much. Thank you, Dr. Greg Matian. Dr. Matthew, if you'll state your name and county residents, you'll have three minutes. Uh good evening. I'm Greg Matheon. I'm orthopedic surgeon at Knoxville Orthopedic Clinic and I'm also its chief medical officer. Uh completing my 34th year at KOC. Uh to put that into historical perspective,

009my first year standing on a Knox County High School sideline was 1991 and that was at Bearden High School. And I would submit to you that there may be some people in this room that weren't born in 1991. Uh over the course of my career, I've had the opportunity to stand on virtually every uh Knox County High School sideline. at some point in time for coverage and most recently I've been at Austin East High School. Healthc care delivery has changed dramatically over that time as has the delivery of sports medicine services. There were no athletic trainers on sidelines or most sidelines back then and we've had a long partnership with Knox County schools providing those athletic trainers instituting that program at no cost to the school system in the past. Uh the underlying goal has

010always been the same however and that's to provide the best quality orthopedic care to all student athletes of all sports. That has not changed at all. That has been our goal since I've walked in the door at KOC. Even when I started in 1991, the KOC jamberee existed even at that time to help try to defay the cost of the insurance program uh for the athletes being mindful even then of the challenges of healthcare coverage for all athletes. As healthc care has evolved and become more costly and complicated, coverage for all athletes becomes more challenging. The change that has been suggested will not affect everyone equally. The financially secure will have their private primary insurance pay the and pay the additional cost for the supplemental insurance especially with respect to the increased cost of football

011participation coverage. Unfortunately, those who are underinsured or uninsured will bear a greater risk of the financial burden if injured during a high school sporting event as they will not have the financial means to afford this coverage. Those of you on this board know which schools will be placed at greatest risk. There will be a bias. Um, as your long-standing partner in the care of your student athletes, uh, we at KOC would respectfully request being involved in these decisions to optimize their care. We, as physicians are personally and emotionally invested in this program as we have spent innumerable hours on sidelines covering events dedicated to that goal. We would ask you to allow us to help you to help your children. Thank you. Russell Bcher. Russell, if you'll state your name and county residents, you'll have

012three minutes. Russell Bcher, I'm an orthopedic surgeon with the Knoxville Orthopedic Clinic and I'm a Knox County resident. Thank you very much for the opportunity to visit with you regarding the upcoming changes to the Knox County High School athletic insurance coverage. I've had the pleasure of caring for athletes in and around Knox County for the last 20 years and was very fortunate to meet with this group 25 years ago to help solidify the relationship of the Knoxville orthopedic clinics care of all the schools in Knox County. It's been a wonderful symbiotic relationship that I think has benefited all parties involved, particularly the young men and women athletes of Knox County Schools. We very much appreciate the honor of caring for our county's athletic children and young adults. Unfortunately, I have great concerns regarding the upcoming

013changes to the coverage of these same athletes. The current plan, although certainly not perfect, provides care for these young men and women without insurance, just as importantly provides care for these young men and women whose insurance frequently denies reasonable care for their injuries. One specific example is a high school football player who suffered a tibian fibular fracture two years prior. He underwent intramillary rotting of the tib and was able to return to full competition the next year. At the time of injury, insurance from Knox County was able to provide some coverage not only for the surgery but also his physical therapy and post-operative care and rehabilitation. Two years later, he's enrolled to play collegiate football on full scholarship. Certainly without the coverage provided by Knox County two years prior, he would may not have been

014able to obtain an optimal outcome, the one that has allowed him to return to full athletic competition. Without his football scholarship, this young man would not be attending college this fall due to financial constraints. Unfortunately, due to the cost the current proposed plan, many of our athletes in Knox County will opt out and not use the insurance coverage, leaving them essentially completely uncovered if they suffer a significant injury. Our concern is that this financial burden will result in a significant reduction of the level of care of those that are not affluent. My partners and I certainly understand the need for fiscal responsibility in this day and age. The current medical envi environment and rising insurance cost not only affects insurance coverage for athletes, but all of our patients as well, even the children and young

015adults not competing in athletic endeavors. We very much hope that we can help and be a part of a solution that continues to care for all of our student athletes of any financial means. Again, thank you very much for the opportunity to express my concerns. Thank you, Dr. Matthew. Point of order. Yes, please. Um, we're on 6A. um insurance management is what I'm seem like we're listening to H 6A 6H and 6K all kind of go together they're kind of yeah but 6A is talking about employees right there's a student section in that policy as well and that's the one that that we're that they're referring to so once again point of So when we get to CISH, we would have already heard the public forum. Correct. Okay, that's correct. Dr. Rupe. Very good. If

016you'll state your name and county of the president, you'll have three minutes. Hey, Matt Rupe, Knox, uh, County. I know you guys are probably getting tired of seeing me. Me and I was here Tuesday night, but thank you for allowing me to speak again tonight. Uh, I immensely appreciate the apparent change of direction and the the potential support for a mandatory BMI school insurance for each student athlete in Knox County. As Greg mentioned and as many are aware, this universal uh coverage came about almost 30 years ago at the football jamboree. Once five tickets were purchased, an athlete school insurance for a year was covered. Obviously, this has invol evolved over time and where now our students are asked to pay that. I do believe the discussion concerning supplemental insurance has brought to light some

017important issues that need to be studied and addressed. I would challenge each of us to think creatively as they did 30 years ago when the program originated. Let's create some grassroots community created solutions at the school level administratively to ensure that this program continues to be successful for another 30 years. I want to leave you with a few stories of a few student athletes who have immensely benefited from this program. Uh SC is a junior cheerleader who had an unstable shoulder. Uh she was seen in my office. She had an MRI. She had X-rays. Her parents have a $5,000 deductible. Uh with her BMI coverage, all of that expense was paid for. Fortunately, she didn't have to have surgery, but uh her family avoided a significant hardship. Uh, one of my patients is a senior

018Knox County football player. This young man, unfortunately, has had three surgeries, one each year. He injured his shoulder his freshman year, had it fixed. He injured his other shoulder the next year, had it fixed. He injured his knee last year and had it fixed. All told, his mom's expense was the $60 that she spent each year uh on her BMI insurance. JC, as a sophomore Knox County soccer player, he tore his ACL. Uh it's a much tougher situation than the other patients. His he doesn't speak English. His mom doesn't speak English and she doesn't have transportation. She actually works in Alabama. Via translator. I was able to speak with his mom, got permission to fix his knee, fixed his knee. He recovered, but was only able to do that because he had the $60 BMI

019policy. TC is a senior football player who injured his hand lifting weights between his freshman and sophomore year. It was a spring lift. The the bar became stuck between his hand and and behind him and he crushed his hand. He broke three metacarpals, almost amputated two of his fingers. Fortunately, he was fixed. He's back playing. His mom states, "Accidents happen. Sports carry physical risk at every level." She's immensely grateful that for the $60 less than the cost of cleats, as she states, her son had her entire his entire care and rehab covered by the insurance. Thank you. Thank you, Dr. J. Crawford. He's not coming tonight. Not coming tonight. Okay, let me just look at the list. But I think, Madam Chair, that concludes public forum on this topic. Thank you, Mr. Triplet, and thank

020you for for coming out tonight. Uh, Miss Christie. Um, well, first I a comment and a question. Um, ju just to go on record and say when this came about, the voices I heard from were from parents that felt like they had adequate coverage and struggled some to to pay. And and I think a lot of times as board members and even as a superintendent, there's that struggle to reconcile those voices, right, when when you have two different groups. And at that time that those were the only people reaching out. So I do appreciate um our friends at Knoxville Orthopedic for um raising these concerns and this awareness as well as the partnership we have with them. Um and Dr. I do appreciate you and uh I I know Randy Smith is here having your

021discussions about moving forward. Um my question is we have that we're voting on and I didn't make it clear when I made the motion policy E200 revisions and proposed version two of policy E200. So, is there a specific version of this policy that aligns all the language to agree because I probably didn't make a motion on on it. Yeah, I'm going to let Dr. Risewick speak to that because we do have some updates to this policy. Thank you, Madam Chair. Thank you, Miss Christie. Um, yeah, I just want to say a couple things maybe. I know I know this is a very complex issue, so I'm going to say that. Um, and and I just I appreciate the conversation Monday night. appreciate um the folks who came out to speak to that as well. Uh

022you know, I think I think this is one of those situations where everybody has the best interest at heart. It's just very complex. So, uh I want to start by just saying thank you to the to the doctors at KOC and thank you for what you do for Knox County Schools. Uh it makes a huge difference. I get to see you guys, especially on Friday night at football games. I know Brian Brown on our team, uh too, working closely with what you what you all do and what you do for our athletes means a whole lot to us. Uh, I do want to thank Randy Smith, um, our risk management for the county as well, who works on insurance and works on these things to try to make sure our students and our facilities and

023everything else is safe. Ry's, uh, been a good voice in this, too. And then, of course, Brian uh, Brown, who we talked to on Monday night. Um, I just want to kind of I thought it might be good to start by just saying how did we get here, right? That might be a good thing. Uh, just kind of simplify this a little bit. Um so we have everything that the that the doctor said um earlier is is very true. Uh we we kind of have these two competing pieces that are taking place. We have um insurance costs that are continuing to rise. Uh and we know that's that's a burden on families. Uh we know that also has an impact on the budget for the district as well. Uh and I think we have families

024uh we're seeing fewer and fewer pay the requirement. Um which means more that the district has been picking up as well. Uh we understand that as that price goes up. We all know things are, you know, hard and and times are tough on on families. Um, and so the way that's always happened in the past is the district has paid that upfront and then coaches throughout the year collect that from their athletes and from their families. Uh, and for those who can't pay that, um, we end up they end up doing different, you know, either fundraisers or offset that from gate money, those kinds of things. Uh what what has made that complex in the last couple years as we've thought through that is um first of all a lot of people already have an

025insurance provider and so a lot of the feedback that Brian and our athletic directors and coaches have gotten is as that price goes up why am I paying for this required insurance where I already have insurance uh which is which is a legitimate question for families. Um there's also a group of our students who get uh just like state tare and and that's that's the insurance they have to use for that. So again, that's still a requirement for that purchase to be made. Um, and so that's either comes out of those athletic programs or it comes out of fundraisers or whatever they do to offset that cost or we pick up that cost. So I just wanted to paint that picture of how we got here. Uh, it has been an incredible uh partnership for

026our kids and so really appreciate what KC is doing. Appreciate that our kids have that coverage. The other part of this is kind of Ry's world uh which is the risk, right? when you start when you start looking at those things and uh a lot of districts do this in different ways. Some people tie it into their facility insurance. Um some people kind of let families figure that out. Not all districts are as large as we are. So you have a lot of different pieces that are in there. Uh and so there's definitely a risk management. As we came to the discussion on Monday, conversations we had, I've been able to talk to Dr. Wilson uh and also to Mr. Brown. Uh, and the question I think that really came out of Monday night for

027me was what will we do for a family who starts with insurance uh, but then doesn't have that in maybe maybe mom or dad loses their job, doesn't have that insurance 3 weeks into the season, gets injured. You know, we we relied on a lot of the grace of the folks at KOC to help that family out, but realistically, as as Mr. Smith has pointed out, you know, that their their legal recourse may be to sue the district for the difference. Um and that that's that's a risk piece as we talk through that that we don't have a solid answer to yet. Um so with all of that said um the staff we're making a recommendation that the board would consider two things. Let me throw let me throw one more piece to that puzzle

028too. There's also um the fact that we have policies and the language is need just needs some clarification which was part of what you all know our regular policy review that policy came up. Um, so what we would recommend as a staffer tonight is that policies E200 and E171 that we sent yesterday to you all, uh, that that language is clarified language. Gary's reviewed that as well as as Corey and Christie looking at that. Uh, that it we weren't doing anything wrong in the past. It's just that this clarifies that language to make it crystal clear that we can continue to do what we're doing. Uh, and Gary, if you want to weigh in on that, you can if you think that's not accurate. I think it allows what that allows us to do uh

029is continue to pay the difference of what athletes can't pay at the end of the year out of the district budget. Um so that that's what we'd recommend that these policies will allow us to continue that continue that practice. Um what we think we need is a little more time as we've heard again from these doctors today to be able to go back to the table with Mr. Smith with uh Coach Brown and the team and us to be able to talk through is there a way that we could get to a cheaper level of insurance, a better level of insurance, or maybe even a way to offset some of these finances for families who are having that. And again, I appreciate KC coming to the table and saying we want to be part of

030that conversation. Um, so what I'd recommend tonight uh is that what I said was this. What this would allow to do if you choose to do that is we could continue our practice that we have been doing in previous years buy some time this year to have these conversations and do a little more research to see if we could get to a better place. So um the recommendation from the staff would be that the board would approve these policies amended. Uh this would clarify the language in the policies to allow us to continue the current practice of requiring supplemental insurance for athletes and also covering unpaid expenses at the end of the year for the athletes who weren't able to pay. Mr. Wright. So given that and given everything that we've Thank you, Madam Chair.

031U everything that we've heard, we've heard from parents, we've heard from KC, which is a fantastic partner in athletics, just to use a sports metaphor and say, let's back up and punt. Let's let's let's push this one more school year. So, I would make a motion that we approve the changes to E200, which is the proposed version two. Okay. And we approve that on first read. All right. So, there's a motion by Mr. Rights or a second. All right. Second by Miss Christie. Any more discussion? Oh, Mr. Triplet. We Yeah, we I can amend my motion. Okay. If that Okay. makes it cleaner. Yeah, that'd be great. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. Thanks, Miss Christie. Mr. Triplet. Yeah. I I can appreciate the need to punt and make sure that we're, you know, taking a good check

032and making sure that we're doing this correctly. I too, like Miss Christie heard from, you know, some folks that felt like they were paying unnecessarily. I was a I was a fan of the insurance change because it still provided insurance. um twothirds of the athletes in Knox County don't play football and would have a cheaper insurance policy with the new plan if they chose to do it because it only be 30 some odd dollars versus 200. Um so I was a fan of that change but you know if we feel like that we can find a better option let's do that. The question I have and I'm not sure who I asked this but where does the $150,000 come from? So you know we're kind of in a situation where we've you know we've lost

033some federal grants. It it makes sense to have the discussion about you know where our resources are going. what's what's the best use of them and are we are we spending money where we don't have to which a change in this insurance policy would save us basically $150,000 a year. Um obviously there's some concern about lawsuits and you know that raises all those so it could be more than that I guess but what uh where does that $150,000 come from is the question I have. Yep. Okay. Thank you Mr. Triplet and I I'll give you Missard chance to to follow up or clean up on the end. How about that? But um I think what what we would do it probably at this point what I would recommend if it's okay if the board would

034agree with this that we would look for just realized savings throughout the year I mean um you know 100 if it last year was like 140ish thousand is probably going to be like I mean in that range if we predicted that for this year uh typically we can find that by the end of the year maybe from vacant position or from you know some some budgets that weren't fully spent. Uh that's typically what we would do uh to do that. Mr. Madam Chair, Mr. Triplet, yes, that's exactly right. We would use uh savings in other areas and that would come back for the board uh by way of a line item transfer, those quarterly line item transfers. My only concern about all that is that since we've had this discussion and folks know that Knox

035County covers the gap in the cost, are we going to have less people pay? Because now we know, well, if I don't pay, Knox County will. So, I have some some thoughts, recommendations. how we go about that, I'm not sure, but you know, making sure that students don't play until they've covered their insurance cost, you know, would help with some of that. Um, I don't know, you know, how that works in the school, but I'm not sure why folks can play before they make pay that fee or how that works. And and Dr. Brown can, can you know, speak to some of that, but or, you know, Brian, sorry, Coach Brown, not not not you. Sorry about that. Wrong person. You're like, not me. This is not mine. That's not mine. Coach Brown could speak

036to some of that. Figure out how that works. Um, I appreciate KOC. I appreciate the the work that they do on the sidelines and every game and and and serving as trainers for our for our school. And I I think um that relationship is is mutually beneficial. I think, you know, we obviously benefit quite a bit from having you on the sideline. I think there is obviously a business benefit to KOC financially as well. you know, obviously they they spend some money to be there uh but also receive some of that and I don't know if they would be willing to consider contributing to some of that, you know, um and and helping cover some of that that gap. Um but um you know, if that is a possibility, but I I I am a

037little concerned about going into the year at the very beginning of the year immediately saying, "Okay, we don't have it in the budget. We're going to spend the entire not the entire year, but a big chunk of the year looking for realized savings. We already know we're $150,000 in the hole. That's a tough place to start the beginning of the year. I know sometimes we need to do that in the middle of the year. We're going to need real life savings from this or this to cover something. Uh but to start the year that way seems a little bit just a little bit concerning to me to do that early on. So I'd love for us to have a more firm solution as we go into that uh rather than just, you know, we'll look

038for savings somewhere else. Thank you, Mr. Triplet. Miss Christie, I'm sorry. Oh, okay. Mr. Right. Um I agree with Mr. Triplet on that. Uh we may need to find a place to get those funds, but in the interim, you know, again, I think we need to just approve this policy on the first reading and then uh when it's appropriate, I would make a motion that we just use realized savings from the 2526 school year to cover what we've been covering. And that way we've got more time. We bought oursel time that we can move forward and try to figure out a better plan for 2627. Miss Morgan, thank you, Madam Chair. Thank you to our partners at KOC for all you've done. Dr. Lon, I saw you up there. Dr. Lon has seen one of

039my daughters more times, more fingers than I have. And um I know for a fact that the people there, specifically Dr. balloon have uh the greatest heart for kids and caring for them and so we are just thankful for all you guys do and that we can um help each other out in that way. I agree with Mr. Wright and Mr. Triplet. I do have some concerns with starting out on July 10th um especially in light of losing some other funds being behind. And so I know it is not this board's job to be in the weeds of how we try to navigate that necessarily, but um I did hear from a good number of people in my district who do have a primary insurance, but their second or this supplemental policy saved them thousands

040of dollars on their kids' injuries and they were very grateful for it as well. and I heard some creative ideas from some of them that I think are worth passing along um for ways maybe SSOs could be responsible for collecting it to help take some of the burden off at the district level. So, I would love to encourage you all to explore that and anything we can do to to help in that way so that we're not bogging down Brian and his staff at this level with trying to figure that out, but so we can also try to not have a $150,000 deficit this year, whether it's through community partners or what. Um, but thank you guys everybody for your work and for your feedback. I think this kind of slid through the first time

041on first reading and um it really does help to have everybody's voices. Thank you, Miss Templeton. Yeah, thank you very much. Um, yeah, I agree. Um, thank you to all the doctors who um have taken time out of your schedule to come here and thank you to all the parents um and administrators who have reached out over this. I've been um pleasantly surprised at some of the feedback and I actually have had some parents um reach back out and say, "Oh, I didn't realize the collective bargaining bargaining piece of this and if I can pay that $60 and offset $100 for another kid, I'm here for it." So, I was surprised at some of um our community members really understanding the the collective piece of this. Um so thank you to those people who reached

042out as well. Um I actually did not hear any comments um about people irritated that they have about the requirement once the collective piece was brought to light. So um that was very very interesting. I do want to encourage um what Miss Morgan is correct. It is not our job to get in the weeds on how this gets done. Um you I thank Dr. repay for his um encouragement to get creative and I'm hope that we will be able to do that. I know um Coach Brown is um a creative soul and we'll be able to sort this out um along with um the risk management crew and I hope that we will be able to work with KOC and their expertise on how to get it done. Um I found it interesting after speaking

043with a few doctors that um ten care can be used with BMI um and it's all in how they bill it. So um I thought that was interesting how um they were able to utilize both of those insurance policies um which is just you new information. So, um again, thank you all for being here and I thank the um central office team for um being willing to seek out a um an answer that will benefit everyone. I'm going to give you a turn, Reverend Butler, and then go back to you, Mr. Wright, if that's okay. Thanks. Thank you, Madam Chair. I uh I support the motion. Um I do share in the concern about the budget issues. Uh but I think that if you were able to do it last year, we're able to do

044it this year even with the grants that we seem to have lost. uh what do concern me and I appreciate it being mentioned is the underinsured and the underinsured are going to be affected the most especially because a number of the uninsured and uninsured have have type of jobs that may be here today and gone tomorrow. So I think that when we think through this and look at what the final answer will be, it will be something that we can make sure that everyone has as much of a a potential to participate in sports and athletics because that is a part of public school. That is a part of who we are. U some of the most um some of the most um uh in church we call them praise reports. I'm trying to think

045what we call uh that we have is concerns our sports teams and so we can do that at the time when they become champions or state champs or whatever. Now is the time for us to give everybody an opportunity to participate. So I I do support and have those concerns but I think that what if we do something tonight we're going to not take care of a number of people. Thank you Mr. Wright. Thank you Madam Chair. In response to that, what Reverend Butler said, uh, let's get started tonight. Can I ask when I made that motion or what is the motion on the table right now? Is it first read? Did I say first read earlier? You did you didn't say it during your motion, but you said it later in your comments, but

046it is on second reading, Mr. Rock. Okay. I would I would like to amend that to single read. Let's Let's go ahead and vote on this if we could. The way So the way it works, if I may, Madam Chair, since it's on second reading, even though it does have some some amendments, I mean, since it's on second reading, it will go into effect immediately. So, yeah. Thank you. Yeah. Yeah. Thank you for that clarification. Right. All right. Is there any more discussion on this item? All right. Well, we'll go ahead and vote. All those in favor say I. I. Any opposed? All right. Motion carries. Item 6B, approve second reading of Knots County Board of Education policy G162, nepotism as amended. A motion by Reverend Butler, a second by Miss Templeton. Any discussion? Seeing

047there's none, all those in favor say I. I. Any opposed? Motion carries. 6C. Approve second reading of Knox County Board of Education policy G2, employee background checks as amended. Second. A motion by Miss Christie, second by Mr. Triplet. Any discussion? Seeing there is none, all those in favor say I. I. Any opposed? Motion carries. 6D. Approve second reading of Knox County Board of Education policy G410 retirement as amended. Second. Motion by Miss Christie. Second by Mr. Triplet. Any discussion? Seeing there's none, all those in favor say I. I. Any opposed? Motion carries. 6E. He approved second reading of Knox County Board of Education policy G461 sick and bereavement leave as amended. A motion by Miss Christie, a second by Miss Templeton. Any discussion? Seeing there's none. All those in favor say I. I. Any opposed?

048Motion carried. That's okay. It's Friday Eve, Re Butler. It's Friday Eve. So moved. 6F approve second reading of Knox County Board of Education Bology G462 personal and professional leave as amended. Second a motion by Reverend Butler, second by Miss Templeton. Any discussion? All those in favor say I. I. Any opposed? Motion carries. 6G. Approve second reading of Knox County Board of Education policy G467 paid parental leave as amended. Second. A motion by Miss Christie, a second by Mr. Triplet. Any discussion? Seeing there is none, all those in favor say I. I. Any opposed? Motion carries. 6H. Approve second reading of Knox County Board of Education policy I 171, Intercolastic Athletics as amended. Motion to approve version two. Second. Okay. So, motion to approve version two. Uh motion made by Miss Christie, second by Mr. Triplet.

049Any discussion? And again, this remember this one kind of piggybacked with a. Okay. All right. Seeing there's no discussion, all those in favor say I. I. Any opposed? Motion carries. 6 I approve second reading of Knox County Board of Education policy I 330 senior classification as amended. So move. Motion by Mr. Triplet, a second by Miss Christie. Do we have any discussion? Okay, seeing there's none, all those in favor say I. I. Any opposed? Motion carries. 6J, approve second reading of Knox County Board of Education policy I440, wellness policy as amended. Second. Motion by Miss Christie, second by Mr. Triplet. Any discussion? Seeing there is none, all those in favor say I. I. Any opposed? Motion carries. 6K. Approve second reading to rescend Knox County Board of Education policy J340, Student Insurance Program. Second version

050two. Oh, this is Oh, this is I'm sorry. For K. Thank you. So, you making a motion? Yes. Was a motion by Miss Christie. Okay. Motion by Miss Christie, second by Mr. Triplet. Any discussion? Yeah, that's my bad. Friday Eve. Yeah, we're going Friday Eve on any kind of 6L. Approve first reading from Knox County Board of Education policy J240, use of personal communication devices in schools as amended. Move to approve version two. All right. Motion by Mr. Triplet. Second by Miss Font Ridley. Any discussion? Version two of this. Miss Miss Templeton, you were first. I have com I have comments on version 3B. Okay. So, we're not there yet. We're not there yet. Mr. Dupler. Well, and I was just going to say, I mean, on this on this one, this is on this

051one, no matter what the board vote, you know, eventually votes upon or or approves, you will want to say to wave a second reading if you want this to be correct. Yes. Effective immediate because it has to go into effect by the school start of the school year. Okay. Yeah. And and yeah, and Miss Cotney is pointing out which is correct. I mean, no matter which version's on the floor, you all can discuss any version. I mean, you know, otherwise you could you could basically vote on a version and not discuss the other versions, which would would eliminate discussion. So, so we can talk about versions one, two, or three. You can talk about any version you want. I mean, and then and then and then once you vote on two, then you can everybody

052can see where you are at that point, right? Okay. And then go from there. Okay. So, Miss Templeton, do you want to Are you asking me if I What are you asking me? I'm so sorry. Are you asking me if I have discussion about the the lump sum of options before us? Or are you asking me if I want to vote on option two? If you want to discuss any of the options because I know you wanted to discuss option three B. Yes. 3B. Yeah. And we can discuss that. And now is the time. Yes. Now is the time to do. Yes. Okay. I apologize. This one's this one. Yeah. No, this one's a tricky one. Yeah. This one's been a whole thing. So, I appreciate the um Robert's rules efficiency. Yeah. And conversation. Um

053Thank you. I know Corey, you worked on this um and um I'm not sure the entire team of people that you worked on this um but it has been um a lengthy labor. So, thank you for um doing it. Um I very much appreciate 3B. I think it is fantastic. Um I am in support of it. Um I had one clarification change that um Mr. Dupler correct me if I am wrong but um there was one change that I would like to see just purely for clarification that we discussed on Monday regarding the um who can receive the cell phone or the wireless device after it has been taken away from the child. and it's really the placement of the word may um for clarification. So I am on I believe it's the second page.

054It's under the header loss of device privileges. I'm going to go down. It's page three. Okay 3B and it is line eight. Okay. I would like to propose that it read as such. Any device used outside these parameters may result in confiscation until it may be released directly to the student or the students parents or legal guardian under appropriate circumstances essentially allowing it to go back to the discretion of the um authority figure. That is my proposed change to 3B. Okay. except for 3B. Okay. Yes. But I am in support of the work done on that one. Okay. All right. That's all I have. Okay. Thank you, Miss Morgan. You were next. Thank you, Madam Chair. Okay. The 3C is that 3B. So 3B is attached to the agenda. Yes. and 3C is a different

055version I believe that Miss Templeton those are your edits correct do you want to explain those M for distributed okay yeah do you want to kind of go through the different yours and three you can actually see them in brown what I just read to you was on the third page at the top that's what I just read to you line 8 through 10 is what I just read I would I did not mention line 15 through 17. I would love for that to be in there, but I'm not hung up on it, quite frankly. Um, but I do want to make it clear that the um the principal or teacher who took that confiscated the device is allowed to give it back to the student and is not relegated to call in the parent

056to come in and click pick it up. Okay. I had a question about your your um C or 3C Um, does this allow students at the high school level to use them in between classes? No. Okay, that's what that was my understanding and I just wanted to make sure. Okay. Okay. Thank you for that. Okay. Thanks. All right, Miss Morgan. Thank you. Okay. Um, I have done a lot more uh reading and discussing with people this week and I know on uh Monday I stated uh that my um schools and uh parents I had heard from were in favor of the status quo. So I was leaning towards version one. Um but upon you know reading more uh I realized that the policy that's in place at my schools is actually very much in line

057with version three. So the way that it is happening uh at the schools that I represent is the restricted school day access to elementary and middle and then high school having access before and after school and lunch periods. Um, they currently also have access during breaks and I know that's not in any of the versions but something that Miss Templeton had mentioned on Monday and I don't know if anybody else is in favor of that being an option but I am definitely interested in version three and am open to including in during break time for high schoolers if anyone else is interested in that option as Miss Bike, sorry, I was expecting someone to respond to that. Um, okay. Um, my questions are I know watches are something that people, you know, a lot of

058people are thinking cell phones, cell phones. Um, and I guess I just want would like some extra clarification on the watches both under option two and under option 3B. Um, is it that watches, smart watches that can connect to the internet in any way, shape, or form um cannot be worn? is that I'm not sure who that question is for. Miss Lner. Thank you, Madam Chair. I'm also maybe going to ask Mr. Dupler to tag in. Um, so how about this? I'll take a first stab and can you correct me to the extent to which I am wrong. Um, so Miss Bike, thank you for the question. My understanding based on um you know a conference that Miss Woods and I had attended um with TOSS to go through and unpack the legislative agenda was

059that the intent was that any um messaging capable device was stored out of sight. And so the interpretation that we heard during that session was that you know even if the watch were to be put into airplane mode it's a messaging capable device. Um the stored out of sight was something that you know the language isn't super specific in the law. So I think it's a question as to the extent you want to read into the spirit behind it. Um, but I do believe, you know, the policy calls out storage in backpacks, purses, um, off of your body during, um, instructional time. And the various versions lay out different parameters around the extent to which that's applied um, for any device during that outside of instruction time. So, I'm going to leave you with that

060answer for a moment, but I'm going to look at Mr. Dupler to see what he thinks about that from a legal perspective. Thank you. I'll uh I'll make it even simpler. Um any device that has communication capabilities, text, email, voice, etc. Any communication capabilities uh is not to be used, not to be out during instructional time. This board now has the task of figuring out, okay, how's that going to look the rest of the time? Yeah. Um I guess because like my question is um you know like using the Apple Watch as a good example of that there are some that are cellular and then some that are Wi-Fi. If it is Wi-Fi and they cannot connect to any Wi-Fi, is it still considered a communication device? Okay, just one clarification on that one. Okay.

061And then um next on just to discuss all the options here, if we're discussing option two, um it looks like to me for option two that students at the principal's discretion would still be able to use their phone before and after the school day. Is that correct? That is correct, Miss Lner. Thank you, Madam Chair. Just for the ease of discussion, I'll go ahead and say that that specificity is true across the board. So regardless of which policy you're looking at, that before and after the school day is not included within the bounds of this policy. Yeah. And so would the compensation situation be the same for version two as it would be for 3B? That would depend on the motion on the floor and the action that the board took. So my understanding right

062now, I'm getting very procedural and I probably am creeping into Mr. Jupler space, but I think that so far it's only been discussed um in relation to option 3 B slash C maybe. So the only motion on the floor right now is for two. So I mean at this point the the expectation would be that you would vote on two at some point unless unless some other motion is made. Okay. Um I guess with that and all of our discussion from the other day, I would be okay with version two or the version um 3B. And I don't think I have any more questions. Thank you, Miss Pike. Miss Christie, you're next. Thank you, Madam Chair. Um, I'm not I I worry about the in between classes because I think that you get in situations

063where, you know, a student gets in a classroom and they're the bell has rang and they're trying to get those last three words in. You know, I can just see this and then they put it in their pocket and it they hear the response back or fill it. Um, so I'm a little bit hesitant about that, but the the feedback that I received from my administrators, I mean, more than anything, is something that's clear and easy to enforce because it's going to be very difficult, especially in the beginning, regardless of what policy we have for some students. um as well as clear guidance on consequences which I know we spoke at policy review and it's my understanding that'll be be shared with principles. My my one suggestion is I mean I'm fine with it them

064having them during lunch but I do think we need to add um during lunch periods in designated areas because not all students eat lunch in the cafeteria. as some students might eat lunch in the back of another classroom during class. And the one thing I did hear from administrators is, you know, it it needs to be clear as to when a student could or couldn't. So, I mean, if we add the language in designated areas, then everyone would know that this is the place where they can have them. If I see a device outside of this area, they shouldn't have it out. Okay. Thank you, Albert. Thank you, Madam Chair. Yeah. Um, I wanted to speak on what Miss Morgan was talking about for the um proposed amendment to motion 3B or version 3B. And

065I just wanted to ask what Okay, so two questions. I was wondering if we had any justification presented to the board as to why um we weren't allowing phones during all break times including class transition. So for example like if we have evidence that shows like students are more late to class when they're using those phones during break time. And then also if we have any like proposed ideas for enforcing that. Um, just because I know as a student my teachers kind of hate like hallway duty and so I was wondering, you know, what happens at schools like if someone has their phone out um in between class changes and like how that would be enforced. It's a good question. I have an answer to that when I that I asked my um so I

066spoke with my administrator. I only have one high school. Um, and she said that, um, there actually are a ton of students, I don't think she has like specific data, um, but a ton of students that are typically late because they're trying to get those last messages in or trying to like hang out and wait for some sort of response or something like that. And that I mean she gave me a whole list of things that not having it during transition times um would really cut down on and make um her and teachers jobs a lot easier. But she was in favor of the lunch time. Thank you. That's helpful. Albert, do you want to do you have some more questions or um Yeah. I was just asking just because as a student I know

067during that break time like I know there's a lot of I totally see the um justification now that you mentioned it. Um but I also know that as a high schooler especially there's a lot of uses that we have for our mobile devices that are outside of just you know school distraction. Um, and what I mean by that is a lot of my friends and peers have like jobs. Um, a lot of us participate in sports and extracurriculars and a lot of those like messages that come from our coaches and our um, employers, it doesn't always come at like nice times, you know, at lunch. And so like when they say, "Hey, practice is canceled or matches moved to like Oak Ridge or something like that." Um, it is always helpful to be able to

068respond like a little quicker. Um, and I'm not defending one way or another how we vote on this, but I just wanted to provide like a bit of perspective as to why students might be checking phones during break time. Yeah, I appreciate that perspective. Thank you for that. Yes, I do think that there is a culture that's been created of constantly being able to reply, right? Um, I spoke with Miss Tim. Yeah. Can you just put your light on? Yeah. Yeah. Your mic your mic is is off. No. Oh, it's not working. Oh, there you go. There you go. Okay. Technology. Right. Um I can't be trusted. But I do think that um so over the course of this conversation in the last I guess three weeks I've spoken to about 10 to 15 students

069um from both of my high school. I represent Central High School and Fulton High School. Um and a lot of the conversation has been around well what do we do if I get called into an extra shift? What do I do if my mom needs me to pick up my brother from Gresham? what do I do you and I can't get those messages and the response from my perspective is that we have created a culture of instantly being able to contact students and therefore um distract from the purpose that you are there to learn. And when the point of these policies is to make sure that everybody's on an even playing field so that that boss who might be trying to fill a shift won't be able to call another kid because they're all turned

070off. Right? So it's not going to put any child at a disadvantage in that regard. Right? or the parent will be still be able to call the office to say, "Hey, make sure you get a message to my daughter that she's got to go pick up her sister or whatever it happens to be." Those modes of transport of transportation communication are still very much open and available to students and to um parents or bosses etc. Um it's really trying to streamline the purpose for which students are in school and help them um maintain that focus. Um I I believe that having a break like lunch is important. Um because quite frankly sometimes you can be people out and you just need to do something else. I can appreciate that completely. Um you I can appreciate

071that. So um I do think that there needs to be some element of u opportunity to be um accessible to the outside world. I don't think we need to, you know, create a cocoon by any stretch, but I do think that we can start to change the culture of what accessibility looks like inside the school building. Thank you, M. I guess my response to that is like thank you a lot for like sharing that because um you know that's something that I really wanted to know. Um but I guess just Okay. So I guess my question in response to that is how much education is actually being lost in between those class periods if I'm just like shooting like my boss a really quick message like saying hey yeah I'll be able to make it

072Friday night. Um because like I know you're saying so if I'm understanding you correctly you want to create an environment where like people respect the learning environment more right where um they can't they know they can't access a student because like they're in school it's like when you're driving like you know you can't text your friend while they're driving right so um I guess my if like the purpose of that is to defend education and like the educational process I'm actually I'm just wondering how much of that is in reality lost if they're just shooting a quick message in between class. Because to me, I'm just having a hard time wrapping my head around like, okay, like I'll send a message, it takes like one minute, I get to class that to me, it doesn't

073seem like there's much being lost there. And then um yeah, I was just like wondering what you thought of that. Can I reply? Yeah, Miss Templeton. Thank you, Madam Chair. Um, it's anecdotal is the short answer, right? Um, I think that it would change daytoday, person to person, teacher to teacher, and class to class. Um, and to um, and we have to create policies that are over all schools and all students. And um while I am have complete confidence that you will be finished with that text message and not be one of the ones in the hallway needing to get those three words in, I can tell you that there are 10 others that need to get that those three words in. And we have to create policy here that is across the board. Did

074you want to say something? Miss Fonta Ridley. Thank you, Madam Chair. Um I just want to share uh what I've heard from administration and from parents. Um overwhelmingly the parents want version two just to so there's no gray area where we can say well maybe we can do it this way, maybe we can do it that way. Um but the administrators um had a few ideas. A lot most of my administrators that I spoke to spoke to all but one um they have a uh process no pro not process um they have their rules and everything in place and the students are respectful of those rules. Um, the only one that had a suggestion was instead of storing it in your pocket or your purse, it it would have to be off your person because

075she these are elementary school um children putting them in their purse and going to the bathroom and doing really inappropriate stuff. So um so that was that suggestion and to the in between classes and I know that it's a different world we live in. We have dangers at school. We want to be able to have access to our parents. Um but in visiting like for instance Bearden High School during class changes announcements were going on all the time. So if your practice is canceled, they can announce it then. if you I know the job thing that that totally blows my mind. But um and as far as parents getting in touch with their children, they possibly could do what our parents did and call the office and have a message to to the to the

076student. Um, I know that there's a big push to protect learning time and they don't want to do uh announcements during class time and so um I think that could be um you know the announcements between classes would help protect that time. So, and I don't want to create more work for the office staff, but um as far as between classes, somebody said it last week, you know, when they're in the hallway and they can use their phone and they put it away and they go into class, they're thinking about what the response is going to be and so they're distracted and then before class is over, they're thinking about what am I going to say? So, they're a little distracted there, too. So, I just I just I'm I'm battling with um students having

077freedom because I'm all about students having freedom to have responsibilities. Um but I just it's it's kind of I think version two and I have totally forgot what version two exactly says um that they can't use them between classes, right? That is correct. or at lunch. Correct. It's the most restrictive version. Okay. Basically a billtoell policy. Right. The day policy. I think every I would have to say just about every student every parent that I got an email from that's what they want. Yeah. So I I got the same feedback. And I think we do live in a culture where we're so conditioned to looking at our phone, answering our phone, thinking about that text message or that that message that's going to come through. And I think it's up to us to break that

078culture. Kids are addicted to their phones. And I have some stats, some mental health stats that I pulled from different, you know, different um different areas. 20% of high school students have said they feel like life feels meaningless, which is up a 100% from the last decade. One in three high school girls think about committing suicide. 9% of high schoolers have actually attempted death by suicide. And 13% of teen girls have attempted death by suicide. And so just the mental health aspect, the fact that our kids are addicted, we're addicted as adults to our phones. And so when they're at school, it's about learning. I asked my daughter, my daughter, you know, just finished eighth grade. And I asked her the other night, I said, "Do you know any students who are bullied at school?"

079She said, "I don't know anyone who's bullied at school." I said, "Who's cyberbullied at school?" And she said, "Oh, I know a lot of kids who are cyberbullied at school." So it's up to us of this board to stop breaking that cycle. So that's why I'm for version two um of this policy. See who's Miss Morgan. Thank you, Madame Chair. Uh I appreciate the stats that you shared and it is absent mental health is absolutely uh great importance and um I think collectively we all know phones do play a big role in that. Um Albert, I love you jumping into this meeting and going all in. Um, I don't know if you've ever done debate team, but I feel like you have that in your background a little bit and I like it. I'm here

080for it. Um, one of the things that, uh, I would like to share in advocating for students to have their phones during breaks, uh, is we have our our high and specific to high school, uh, we have our high schoolers, say Fairgate High School for example, we have over 500 high schoolers that are going take to take college classes at Pellissippi State this year. 500 high schoolers who we think are mature enough to leave the high school campus, go to college campus, take a class or to take it online in a college capacity, but we're also saying we don't think that they can handle having their phones in between a break. And I have trouble finding the congruency in that. Um, I do absolutely believe that it's important we set clear boundaries and uh while

081I recognize that there are some some serious negatives that come along with the distractions of devices for all of us, adults included, uh, I do also believe that technology is the future and we are responsible for putting um, kids out into the world who are prepared for life as adults. And by banning their phones, we're not helping them learn as much appropriate times and use for them and ways where you have five minutes, check real quick if you have a message from work or whatever it may be or your mom and then get back to class. Um, which is what the real life is like. Now, of course, I appreciate all the all the different perspectives here and um and appreciate everybody's input as well. So, um I know whatever decision this board makes will

082be a good one and our school system will move forward and do what we think is best for kids. I am just hopeful that we can do something that sets reasonable expectations, minimizes distracted learning in the classroom, and supports our students uh to be the most well-prepared, responsible adults when they leave high school. Reer, I'm gonna let you speak and then Albert, I'll go back to you since we haven't heard from you. Re Butler, thank you, Madam Chair. Um, I uh start off supporting um version two. Um I think that uh the purpose is to uh not necessarily restrict phones but uh to improve the learning environment and I think that does that. Um, after listening to different voices, including Alberts, uh, I do think that, uh, a break, having a break for high school

083students during the day, uh, would be beneficial for the students. I I know I've heard administrators who say that that's not necessarily the case, but I've heard students say yes. So, uh, I'm I'm I'm now back to version I'm going now to version 3B, I guess 3B C, um, with that with with the language change, not uh, but the reason why I don't support the um, having access to change of schools, change of classes rather, I think they're in most our 90minute blocks now. Mhm. And that is in my mind that's not a break. That's a time to go from one class to the next class. I know it's a break in terms of the the learning class, but getting from one class to the next class uh is enough of an effort than to

084uh because you have you you go class you. So I I'm not in favor of the between classes. I do think that although uh if everyone was going to text or everyone was going to just text and check, but uh it leaves the door open for that those persons being late and and then you're moving from the learning uh mind to the communication social mind. So um and so having lunch would be a privilege. Uh, and I think that if you know if we get reports, but that's not that that becomes a problem, then I think that you don't allow that privilege. But I think by the time they get to high school, especially we talking about five years that five years from now, everyone who will be in high school would have gotten it

085in elementary and middle school. Is that correct? In five years, if you're if you're in high school, you you you started off with having nothing. So getting it in high school would be a privilege. So um I'm just thinking that that's the best way for us to go. Uh someone may accuse me of choosing the middle ground and that may be true too. But I think that's that that's what I would support is that is that that version. Thank you Reverend Betler Albert. Yeah. Thank you Madam Chair. I first wanted to say thank you also for bringing up those statistics about mental health because, you know, as a student, I know those aren't just statistics. I know a lot of people who struggle with that. So, thank you for bringing that up. Um, and that's

086why I do think that it's really beneficial for the board to do everything that it can to mitigate those um those symptoms. And that's why I think it is beneficial to limit phone access in our elementary and middle schools. Um, but to build on Miss Morgan's point about how much we trust our high schoolers, not just to go to Pellissippi, but once we turn 16, we can drive, you know, we can drive ourselves from school. And to me, the opportunity there for danger is something that everyone's familiar with. And just and thinking that phones are more of a danger than that to me seems kind of weird. um like just because if we're supposed to prepare for our careers, you know, and that's one of the goals that I appreciate Knox County Schools for having

087is that like we're so career oriented like you know um my CTE building has like so many classes for career development and I think it's unrealistic to not prepare students for using technology in the real world And it just it's hard to defend the um like getting rid of phone access for high schoolers when we can still participate in things that seem a bit more dangerous like you know driving down the freeway or sorry I think my point's a little convoluted but I think there needs to be a bit more justification to why phones are limited. to just I mean are being limited for high school use is what I'm trying to say. Miss Fner Ridley. Um I totally understand what you're saying, Miss Morgan, about students needing to be able to um learn how

088to use them correctly. Um realistically, not all of them are going to use them correctly. So in in order to make it fair across the board, you know, I'm leaning toward two, which I told people and teachers have enough on their plates than having to teach students how to use the phone correctly. So teachers time needs to be preserved as well for instruction and not tutoring kids on how to when appropriate and inappropriate ways to use their phone. you know, the parents should be teaching them that and responsible for that. So, that's just my opinion. Yeah. Overall, I think it just hinders learning overall, Mr. Triplet. Albert, I appreciate the all the points you bring up and the perspective. Um, well done. Good job. Uh, it isn't the danger, it's a distraction. So, it's certainly

089a different level of of perspective. And as someone who has employed young people and employs people just out of college, I would love for people to be less on their phones at their desk or in their So it'd be good for everybody to put their phones away from bell to bell, whatever that happens to be uh on the job or at school. Um but the only thing I really am doing is just amending my motion from just version two to version two approve on first reading according to Mr. Dupler's request. Do we have any more discussion on this item before we vote? Miss Templeton, only a point of order. Um, so is now the time that I would put forth the motion to approve 3B or do I wait until after this vote is taken?

090To amend it, right? or Yeah. Yeah. I think in M. Can I do a substitute motion or it's up it's up to you, Miss Templeton. I mean, you know what? So, what's going to happen right now if you don't do anything is you're going to take a vote on version two. Yes. You also have the option completely up to you. You could you could uh uh move for an amendment for ver for version three, B or C. uh or you could ask for a substitute motion for three, B or C. So that's up to you as to what you want to do uh to try and get that out in front of the board before the before the two. What's the difference between an amendment and substitution? An amendment um you would I mean if

091an amendment fails, it would go back to the original motion. If uh if an uh if an amendment is approved, then that's that. It's it's in the it's in the um it's in the record. I mean, you'd still vote on the original motion, but the amendment's already there. Uh as far as a substitute, a substitute would would would completely uh u eradicate the the original motion if it's approved. So, it takes place of it basically. Up to you. I'm going to choose my words carefully. Okay. And I know you will you'll correct me if I'm wrong. I would like to do a substitute motion for three to call 3B to a vote with an amendment that would include the brown pieces of C on page three. Okay, I know guys, that was crazy. That was

092crazy. Essentially, I want all the words on first reading. Correct. So, basically 3C, if I may. Yeah. So, so it sounds like what you're asking for is a motion, a substitute motion for 3C. Yes. To take the place of two. Correct. Because in clarity, C has all the elements of B with the only addition that um clarifies that students can receive those devices back. And it doesn't only go to the parent. Does that make sense? And at the bottom, there's also that a line that says principles have the discretion in the use of devices due to distractions of prohibited or inappropriate use, including during lunch hours. And uh Miss Christie, I think that would cover if the principal wants to designate an area. I believe that they could with that language if they wanted to.

093It would just not be required. Miss Christie. Yeah, that was probably the biggest feedback I got from my administrators. Um, they they felt like the in designated areas would help them with enforcement. I mean, and that would be school to school. I mean, they could determine that, right? I mean, is I I think that that line allows for that. Well, Miss Christie, Miss Templeton, I mean, that line's more about discipline. Uh, uh, so so I think to Miss Christiey's point, if you wanted to add in designated areas, that could be added. Uh, just just where it talks about lunch. Does the current version disallow designated areas? So, could could it be principal's discretion anyway? It does not. It's just it's just silent on it. more it was more of a clarity issue for them because

094they know that it's going to be a struggle to enforce and and they don't want to have a lot of debates on you know oh well I was on my lunch break but I had my lunch in the back of Miss Smith's class well you know Miss Smith is also teaching a class and there are 30 kids in that class that saw you had your phone out and they just wanted it very clear so that they enforcement is the biggest concern and this just makes it easier for them. This is where you can have your phone. You can't have it anywhere else. But it could be determined school to school. That was just a feedback back I got from administrator. So designated areas are not required. They are allowed in those at lunchtime dur but

095they're not required. Like not all schools have to do that is what you're asking. But they can. I'm just It's just if they have them at lunch, it needs to be in a designated area determined by the school. Okay. I'm like scared to turn my light off. Um, Reverend Butler, did you want to say something while she's pondering? I do, but it does need a second. That's Yes. I have not said anything about the requiring the designated areas because I'm uncomfortable with it. That's why right now the motion is Oh, I'm sorry. Mr. Butler, would you say Okay, I'm gonna say the motion. Yes. Yeah. Okay. Version 3C. Um, as it is written. So, you make a substitute motion. I would like to make a substitute motion on first reading for 3C. Okay. For 3C.

096As it is written. as it is written. Okay. So, motion by Miss Templeton, second by Miss Spike. Do we have dis any more discussion? And we'll why don't we take a roll call vote, Miss Miss Terry? Okay. All right. Dr. Betler, no to the substitute motion. Miss Templeton, yes. Miss Fontau Ridley, no. Miss Pike, yes. Miss Morgan, yes. Mr. triplet. No. Mr. Wright, no. Miss Christie, no. Miss Henderson, no. That is three yes votes and six no votes. Okay. So, that motion fails. So, then we will go back to the original motion which is version two. And I think because Mr. Triplet amended it to go on first reading, we need a second on that or the second to Miss Fner Ridley. Okay. Do you agree with that? Okay. Okay. Dr. Butler, Miss Templeton, Miss

097Fontine Ridley, yes. Miss Bike, yes. Miss Morgan, no. Mr. Triplet, yes. Mr. Wright, yes. Miss Christie, Miss Henderson, yes. That is five yes votes, two no votes, and two pass. Miss Templeton, did you want to change your pass vote? It's 52 and two. Change. And Miss Bite, did you want to change your pass vote? No. So that is six yes votes, two no votes, and one pass. Okay. Motion carries. passes. All right, great discussion on that. Thank you. Okay, item 7A, approve elementary school dental program agreement with Elgen Children's Foundation for the term of July 1, 2025 through June 30th, 2026 and an Elgen Children's Foundation grant up to $8,000 for student transportation costs associated with the program. Move. That was a long one. Motion by Mr. Triplet, second by Miss Christie. Any discussion on

098this item? Seeing there, seeing there is none. All those in favor say I. I. Any opposed? Motion carries. 7B. approved donation agreement with Big History Project LLC for the term of August 1, 2025 to July 31st, 2026 for receipt of funds in the amount of $5,000 and curricular resources and professional learning support to include five virtual learning events and two cohort specific meetings. Motion by Mr. Triplet, second by Miss Christie. Any discussion? Seeing there is none, all those in favor say I. I. Any opposed? Motion carries. 7 C approved Dollar General Literacy Foundation grant in the amount of $1600 for Cedar Bluff Middle School. So moved. Motion by Mr. Triplet, second by Miss Christie. Any discussion? Seeing there's none. All those in favor say I. I. Any opposed? Motion carries. 7D. Approve NEA Foundation Learning

099and Leadership Grant in the amount of $1,734 for Christristenberry Elementary School. Motion by Mr. triplet second by Miss Christie. Any discussion on this item? Seeing there is none, all those in favor say I. I. Any opposed? Motion carries. 7E. Approved donation from the University of Tennessee Knoxville in the amount of 46,99355 designated for the purchase and installation of new flooring for the Vine Middle School Health Center. Motion by Reverend Butler, second by Miss Bike. Any discussion? Seeing there is none, all those in favor say I. I. Any opposed? Motion carries. Item 8A, approve construction contract with Merit Construction Incorporated in the amount of 8,587,000 for additions and renovations to Stury Elementary School. So move. Motion by Mr. Triplet, second by Miss Christie. Do we have any discussion? Seeing there is none, all those in favor

100say I. I. Any opposed? Motion carries. 8B. approved contracts with ESC Southeast LLC and UEES Professional Solutions 19 LLC for provision of construction testing services for the term of July 1, 2025 through June 30th, 2026, which may be extended for four additional years. Motion by Mr. Triplet, second by Miss Christie. Any discussion on this item? Seeing there is none, all those in favor say I. I. Any opposed? Motion carries. 8C approved contracts with City Shuttle LLC, Collaborative Student Transportation LLC, First Student, Makoni Transportation Incorporated, RPM Transit Incorporated, and SCU Bus Lines LLC for provision of student transportation services for the term of August 1, 2025 through July 31st, 2026, which may be extended for four additional years. A motion by Mr. Tripleta, second by Miss Christie. Any discussion? Seeing there's none. All those in favor

101say I. I. Any opposed? Motion carries. 8D. Approve contract with school and office supply for provision of stage curtains and rigging services up to $125,000 annually for the term of November 1, 2025 through October 31, 2026, which may be extended for four additional years. Motion by Mr. Triplet, second by Miss Christie. Any discussion? Seeing there is none, all those in favor say I. I. Any opposed? Motion carries. 9A approve fund balance designations in the amount of 8,5335,114 for capital plan supplemental funding, a QSCB bond payoff, and time and attendance software. A motion by Reverend Butler, a second by Miss Christie. Any discussion? Seeing there is none, all those in favor say I. I. Any opposed? Motion carries. 9B approved 2025 2026 Knox County Schools differentiated pay plan. Motion by Miss Christie, second by Mr. Triplet.

102Any discussion? Seeing there is none. All those in favor say I. I. Any opposed? Motion carries. All right. Before we move on to public forum, I've gotten a few requests to take a little break. Oh, Miss Mont Ridley. I'm so sorry. I didn't see your light. That's okay. I just turned it on. Oh, okay. Um, I wanted to throw this out there. You know, with all the discussion on the wireless communication device, the students are going to go through withdrawal. Do we have any way of providing counseling services or people available to help with that? Thank you, Miss Font. Really, I would I would I would let um see if Dr. Brown would weigh in. I would I would say at this point no we we currently don't have any specific I mean you we

103have the counselors that available at the schools and even elementary in the middle which I don't think is a big change to policy. So high school will have the counselors who are there um and you know they're at a pretty good ratio for students. So uh we don't have anything addition to that but I think principles have the ability to make that adjustment as they need to if they see a need in their st in their student body. Yeah. Thanks for bringing that up. All right. Why don't we take a 10-minute break and we will come back here at 6:45 uh for public forum. We have one, two, three, four, five. What are your people? Who are your people? This will all be direct. Good job, Terry. came over agenda. board members. We don't hire

104[Music] so much. Well, that's good. You know, I can email my people. You don't have anything to say either, but I think you're pretty [Music] Yeah, I was just thinking all circled up out there. Dark [Music] side. All right, welcome back. You for being so patient and being here this evening, Mr. Triplet. Thank you, Madam Chair. Daria Turner. Darren, if you'll state your name. We will get to know you over time, I'm sure, but state your name and county residents, and you will have three minutes. All right. Daria Turner, Knox County, Knox County Education Association. Public education is often described as the great equalizer, but I see it as something even more powerful. The common thread that weaves together the fabric of our community. It connects households to hallways, neighborhoods to knowledge and dreams to

105the daily work dedicated educa to the daily work of dedicated educators. And just like any strong fabric, it is at its best when every thread, every person is working in unison. That spirit of unity is what brings me here tonight. Good evening, Madame Chair, superintendent, and board members. My name is Daria Turner and I am honored to introduce myself as the new president of the Knox County Education Association. This fall, I'll begin my 27th year as a public school educator. For 22 of those years, I had the privilege of teaching in Pleasant Ridge, the very neighborhood where I live, shop, and raised my family. I am not only a teacher in Knox County, I am part of the community we serve. As I step into this role, I do so with a deep sense of

106gratitude for the work of President Paula Hancock. She helped build a foundation of trust and cooperation between KCA and Knox County Schools. My vision is to continue that work to grow this partnership into one that stands as a model for school systems and education associations across our state. Within KCA, I am committed to fostering unity and solidarity. I want our association to be a voice for the voiceless to stand strong for every educator regard regardless of their title, tenure, or school zone. I also believe it's time to modernize how we communicate so that our message is accessible, timely, and empowering to the current and future educators alike. We know that the strength of our school schools lies in the strength of our relationships with families, with leadership, and with one another. Together, I believe we

107can continue to build a system where every educator is respected and every student has the opportunity to thrive. Thank you for your time and your ongoing partnership in this important work. Thank you, Candace Bannister. Candace, you'll state your name and county residents. You'll also have three minutes. Kenneth Bannister, Knox County resident. So, you do know how to do an internal investigation. I guess you really had no choice since KPD had investigated and arrested two coaches at West High School for sexual abuse of students by authority figures. Let me first say I sincerely hope that you are seeing to the needs of those students and their families affected by this horribly abusive and heartbreaking situation at West. It now makes me wonder if I should have gone to law enforcement instead of to the district to

108share our concerns regarding the bullying and emotional abuse of our son by his administrator. I can assure you that they would have had no trouble finding evidence that he did emotionally abuse will. Maybe it was because the students at RE West were sexually abused that triggered you into action. But as a trauma-informed district, I know that you are acutely aware that abuse is abuse is abuse. Whether it's emotional, physical, or sexual abuse, they are all types of abuse. Emotional abuse by authority figures can have con uh can have severe and lasting effects on students. It can include verbal abuse, constant criticism, intimidation, manipulation, and constant displeasure with the student. This type of abuse diminishes and erodess self-esteem of the victim leading to a loss of self-confidence, sense of self-worth and trust in their perceptions. The

109emotional scars from such abuse can be more profound and lasting than physical ones, affecting the individual sense of self and overall well-being. I assume that during your investigation at West, you found things that you did not know prior to doing it. Thus the reason for conducting investigations. Yet the uh even though 43 stakeholders wrote to you about the concerns who emotionally abused our son, you still failed to initiate an investigation. You have been questioned about this lack of action for an entire year and still nothing. I will add that the night that I spoke to Dr. Witswick last June after the board meeting right after he was promoted, the person standing in the hallway to talk to him next was the former district 5 Farragut school board member. It's not real hard to figure out

110why she was there. Whether there has been an out what whereas there has been an outpouring of support for coach Brown who is not guilty of abuse as well as calls for him to remain at west by many members of the community. I did not hear of a single request from the fair community to leave that admin at our high school not even one. Yet he has been promoted there as if he has never had one concern raised about him. Lastly, I read that there was at least one employee terminated from West for not sharing known information regarding the sexual abuse last year when the admin from Farragate was promoted to chief of schools. 11 people requested to talk to Dr. Ricewick to share concerns regarding that man being promoted to such a prominent position.

111But Dr. Riswick told me he didn't need to hear from these people as he'd already given this man the job. He refused to hear information regarding an employee who was just promoted. So, I'm wondering how is refusing to hear information any different than an employee not telling what they know? In both situations, the flow of information is stopped. And remember, no investigation was ever done, not even initiated. So, exactly how have you done your due diligence? It's simple. You did not and still have not eight years later. Thank you, Clayton. Balig. Clayton, if you'll state your name and county residents, you'll have three minutes. Clayton Bolague, Knox County. I come tonight as a concerned parent and community member. To say I'm extremely disappointed in the way in which the school system handled the alleged sexual

112misconduct at West High School is an understatement. Since April, KCS's superintendent and board members have shown a complete lack of leadership, communication, and accountability. There has been zero communication with West parents, students, and community members. You have turned an already bad situation worse because of your lack of transparency and communication. The only communication received was one parent square on May 19th notifying parents that coach Brown was put on administrative leave and one email on June 18th letting us know Coach Brown would not be returning to West. Where were the notifications about the people walking the halls of our school who were arrested for Questions for Dr. Ricewick and the board. Have you been to West since this began in April 2025? How have you made West feel safe since removing Coach Brown? What have you

113done for the West students? Coach Brown, why is Lamar Brown being held accountable? The following statement is taken from a memo given to Lauram Brown. This action follows an administrative review which indicates a lack of oversight as your role as head coach, particularly related to the conduct and behaviors of assistant coaches whom you've hired and supervised. How can this be a reason for the reassignment of Lamar Brown when he cannot hire coaches under KCS policy? I stand with George Eert when I ask you to resend Lamar Brown's suspicion and meet and meet with the public before making a final decision and suspend Dr. Dr. John Ricewick effective immediately until an unde un in-depth investigation is carried out regarding keeping our children safe. Thank you, Courtney Peace. Courtney, if you'll state your name and county resident,

114you'll have three minutes. Courtney Peace, Knox County. Good evening. I come to you as a concerned mother and someone who believes deeply in West High School, its students, and its mission. The recent allegations of sexual misconduct were shocking. The betrayal was incredibly hard for our kids, and our hearts still ache for the victims. The district's response, specifically the reassignment of Coach Brown, only deepened these wounds. I am from a stock of great leaders. I know what making hard decisions is in the face of critics. I know how I have seen that up close and personally and I know how lonely it can be on top. You have a hard job. But I also know what leadership looks like. This is not it. We wouldn't be here tonight if there had been an honest communication, a

115clear plan, or a shred of respect for our community or to one of the greatest leaders that you have in this district. The reassignment wasn't justice. It was damage control. The process lacked communication, transparency, compassion, and respect. I hope the board will question the qualification of those running that investigation. Coach Brown would have shaken your hand if you had simply gone to him and explained why you think removing him would be the best thing for our students. You don't know that about him, but we do because he always puts the students first. In today's world, many athletes in my son's position would have opted to transfer, but he never accepted that as an option. He stayed out of loyalty to his teammates, his coaches, and because he loves his school and the people inside that

116building. That kind of commitment from a teenage boy is rare. And he's not alone. They all stayed. They are unified, and they believe in each other. They are proof and a product of great leadership. You see, Coach Brown didn't just build a football program. He helped shape a school's culture, one that brings together students from every background. One West is not a slogan. It's real. and he embodied embodied more of that than anyone that I know. Let's talk numbers. West graduation rate is now 95%. Just 10 years ago, it was in the low 80s. That is not a coincidence. That is leadership. But it feels like you have turned your back on an entire community. And now the leaders at West are doing their best to hold everything together. And without even having the opportunity

117yet to properly talk to them, I know that they are up to the task. But do they have your support? From the outside looking in, it doesn't seem that way. Scheduling a parent meeting the same time as this board meeting was not support. That's a red flag. We know you are watching our school closely, and we're watching you, too. Moving forward, we expect your support, clear expectations for staff and parents, and above all, we expect you to put students first. You've asked for our trust, our understanding, and our sacrifice. It's time that you give something in return. Thank you. Ted Anellet. Ted, if you state your name and county of residents, you'll have three minutes. Ted Anellet, Knox County. I want to thank the board for the opportunity to share my family's experience of what

118we feel was not an investigation, but rather an inquisition of Lamar Brown. Over the past two years, I've had the opportunity to work directly with Coach Brown, getting to know the young men on this team. I've been at practice. I've been on the sidelines. I've been in the locker room. I've been on the bus and I've been at each game. I have directly seen the impact that he has had and the standard he has called these young men to live to and hold them to no matter what the cost. Many here tonight have already shared about this. The type of person Lamar Brown is. The impact this process has had on him and his family is tragic. It is deep and it is shameful. Tonight, I want to share about the impact this has had

119on the lives of these young men, my own son included. And the void left not only by the decision made, but more importantly by the process. Rather than modeling clear and intentional leadership, Knox County has left these young men with nothing but questions and and and committed to excuse me and communicated to them that their experience and their voice do not matter. No one met with them. No one asked them their opinion. No one asked them a single question. They are told all of this is for to protect them. But it's felt felt experience has been that it's been to protect others that they have never seen or never met. It has left them feeling disrespected, unheard, and unseen. They are told to trust the system, yet the system seems only concerned with protecting itself.

120They are hurt, frustrated, disillusioned, and so are we as families. All of this could have been avoided and should have been avoided. This is my son's senior year. He's been working for this literally for years. Countless hours of workouts, agility drills, camps, anything he can do to improve and get better and be a leader for his brothers. Over the past several weeks, I have literally watched the light dim in his eyes. I've watched his countenance change. I have watched his hope fade. I have watched it I have watched him lose trust in leadership. I've seen it in these young men. I've seen it in myself. I've worked with him to not build resentment and not be disrespectful. But it is a it is a it is a struggle. No one is denying the seriousness of

121the allegations against the other coaches and in fact fully support the due process and no solutions. This is not about them. This is about the man who has earned our respect and trust countless times with his presence and love in the lives of these players. This is the void that has been left in their lives. This is what we are waiting for someone to acknowledge and take responsibility for. There is a difference between intention and impact. I can't speak to the intentions of the superintendent and the HR team themselves regarding this inquisition of Lamar Brown. I can give personal experience to the impact. Simply put, they have failed. We are here tonight to ask for accountability. Show these boys in red and blue that their voice can be heard and that they have not been

122forgotten. It is never too late to do the right thing and make the right decision. Thank you, Brock Hatcher. Brock, if you'll state your name, county resident, you'll have three minutes. My name is Brock Hatcher, Knox County. Um, first and foremost, I just want to thank everybody for uh just giving us the opportunity to be heard really. Um, my story with Coach Brown started freshman year. Um, it even started before that. I've been in the program since I was five, six years old. I've been a West Rebel for as long as I can remember and still to this day, I don't think there's a single man that I could compare to other than that guy right there being a West Rebel. West Rebel isn't just a name, it's a standard. It's a belief in something

123bigger than yourself. Um, as Coach Brown would say, I'm going to try to get through this without crying. Um, it's hard. Um, I don't go to the school anymore. I graduated in 2023. Um, none of this should matter to me. I have no ties to the school. My sister's graduating and going to Alabama next year. Um, I am just hurt with the situation. Um, I've had very dominant parents in my life. They have always put food on the table and always provided for me. Um yet for those four years, those massive four years, 16 all the way to 20, um I have never had a man more influential in my entire life than that man over there. Lamar Brown is selfless and he is the most respectful human being that has ever touched this earth.

124It's it's it's really hard to put in words to you guys that you guys would understand without meeting him. Um, I really wish that there would be more opportunity to, you know, hear from him because he is a good man at heart. He earned it and he deserves it for these people. Um, it's it's it's more important though that um for for these other teammates that are coming up because especially at West High School, um there's a lot of diversity. There's a lot of kids that don't have moms and dads. And even for me that had a mom and dad, that guy was my main leader in my life for those four years. And I could not imagine what it would be like at West High School without him as our leader. Um he's one

125of a kind really. Um when when you when you take him away from West, you're not just taking a coach away, you're taking a leader, a a father to most to be honest. Um, you're taking a man that takes kids and and and molds them into men of society that are better for families, better husbands, um, better fathers for kids. Um, he's just a true example of what a good human being is in this society. And you take him away and you're going to hurt a lot of other people. You're not going to hurt me. You're not going to hurt anybody else that graduates, but you're going to hurt the kids that are there right now. I've seen the impact that he has had on my life in those four years and I couldn't imagine

126what it would be like for kids that don't have a dominant role model in their life. We need more people like him in our life and I think everybody could learn a little bit from him. Thank you, Jeff Francis. Jeff, you'll state your name and county resident. You'll have three minutes. My name is Jeff Francis and I have been a Knox County resident for over 30 years. I have been in the West uh High community for over 15 years, having four children graduate from West High School. My wife Kathy and I have invested considerable time and resources over the past few years in trying to make the West High community a better place. That is why when we heard the allegations of wrongdoing by two members of staff, we were sickened. It felt like years

127of hard work came crumbling down in a matter of days. Nevertheless, um if the al allegations are true, there's no one that wants justice more than I do. I have a belief that when the human heart recognizes injustice, uh the heart will not rest until justice is served. Unfortunately, the past several months, my heart has recognized another injustice. And that is how Lamar Brown has been treated by the school system he has so honorably served the last eight years. My relationship with Lamar Brown goes back to 2017 serving on a committee to search for a new coach. When Lamar was hired, he inherited an undisiplined, dysfunctional football program. Everyone remembers the state championships the last few years, but I remember the player discipline and parental dysfunction he inherited. I often tell Lamar his first two

128years at West High School, he had the toughest coaching job in America. What what Lamar did, he put his head down. He put his heart into the kids, his heart and soul into the kids and our community. And he's made made the West High School football program one of the most respected in the state. You see, what people in the West community, what you're hearing is they understand that Lamar is uniquely qualified to coach at West. His personal story of growing up in poverty and being raised by his grandmother, his story resonates with so many of the players he coaches. Everyone in the community knows that whether you're a wealthy family in Sequoia Hills or a a working poor kid on the other side side of the interstate that seem to divide our community, everyone,

129no matter what side of the interstate you're on, you want Lamar Brown to coach your son. What seems to me is a huge insult to our community is there's been no effort from anyone in the school system to reach out and hear our side of the story. We've been told that you cannot comment on ongoing investigation. Well, nobody's asking you to, but we do want to be heard. Okay, here's the good news. Okay, the good news. You're at the board. You're elected officials. You have an opportunity. Some might say an obligation, but I would call it an opportunity. An opportunity to show real courage. Real courage in vacating the superintendent's decision to remove Lamar Brown. Let justice be served and reinstate Lamar Brown as head football coach. Thank you, Fred Trainer, if you'll state your

130name and county resident, you'll have three minutes. Fred Trainer in Knox County. Uh, firing Coach Brown was the wrong decision for West, the school decision, and our city. From what we know, it was handled in an unprofessional way, a manipulative way, and a disrespectful way. Coach Brown had a very tough upbringing, so his path to success was not easy. But he has succeeded, and he deserved more respect than you gave him. He has had an incredible impact on kids in our community, often the most disadvantaged kids. West is the most racially and economically diverse school in Knoxville. Uh the poorest and the wealthiest come together and academics do allow for a lot of mixing. But the football team and that stadium is what where the rich mixing really happens for kids and families. Some of

131the results that I've seen are almost utopian. I would love to see what happens at the West football game spread throughout our community. There really is some magic happening around that football team. A sweet aroma, a joy, a pride, a unity that you don't see in many places. And Coach Brown loves all the kids the same. He demands unity and creates an environment where One West thrives. Coach Brown sets the culture for the team, but it radiates through the school. And over the last five years or so, many of us who have the choice about where to send our kids to school have sent our kids to West because we want to be a part of what I just described. And you dropped a bomb on the whole thing for no reason other than what

132looks like CYA. I have been heartbroken to see so many of my friends who send their kids to private school and your actions have more families leaning that direction. My kid doesn't even play football. But sports are important to people and West needs those families. Our understanding is that Coach Brown had no knowledge of the events that happened proven by a lie detector test. I have about 60 employees. I can't imagine firing them without having a single meeting with their superior to hear their side. Did you make any attempt to understand the good that coach Brown does and try to weigh that against whatever unspoken negative thing that you think he did? Obviously, whatever you are accusing him of is not major or surely you wouldn't leave him as a teacher in Knox County. You

133instructed um the principal to have a meeting with the football team this evening. So, a lot of them can't be here. It's all just wrong. It's disappointing and it's unprofessional. You took a bright light out of a dark world for no reason other than what seems to be your concern for your reputation. Well, here's the good news. It's not too late. The light can be returned. You can do the right thing and reinstate Coach Brown. And in spite of how you treated him, he's willing to come back. When asked just the other day, he said, just like only Coach Bell can say it, "I'll come back because I love those kids so much. Jus Mills. Jasus Mills. James Sutton. James, you'll state your name and county resident. You'll have three minutes. I got exhibits. Who?

134Who do I provide these to? Miss Miss Cody, you'll get them. Miss Company can get them from you and distribute them. Well, I'm James Sutton, Knox County residents. I'm a father of two at West High School. I've been involved in the West Foundation, the West Athletic Council. I was involved in the Beard and Middle Foundation and the Rocky Hill Foundation. I appreciate what the superintendent said about what a great place West is. I also appreciate what he said about the confidence he has in Dr. SP and Paul Romero going forward. However, there's Lamar Brown. Coach Brown is a huge part of the success of the students and I'm here today to litigate in front of the P public his injust removal as head coach and teacher. Coach Brown was issued a letter relieving him of

135his coaching duties last month that is not only defamation of character but of a falsification of public records by the superintendent. In Tennessee, falsifying public records is a serious offense governed by Tennessee code 3916504. Let me explain. The superintendent states, "The action follows an administrative review which indicates a lack of oversight in your role as head coach, particularly rated the conduct and behaviors of assistant coaches whom you hired and supervised. The actions of these individuals have raised serious concerns and reflect a failure to maintain the standards of leadership, accountability, and student safety expecting your position. The first falsification of public records, Mr. Brown does not have the authority to hire coaches. That's stated in exhibit one, uh, Knox County Education Policy G 100. Uh, exhibit two, the Knox County Board of Education policy G290 says

136personnel employment and staffing decisions shall be within the discretion of the director of schools, not Coach Brown. Uh, exhibit 3, Knox County Board of Education policy G212, employee background checks. Knox County Human Resources does employee background checks, not Coach Brown. And there's no way possible that they could have done a background check, which they did, and realized what was going to happen in the future. Exhibit four, administrative procedure APG290, application process of hiring a personnel. That's not Coach Brown's responsibility. Exhibit five, administrative procedure APG290, hiring athletic coaches. Under the section, highly hiring faculty coaches, it states principal and athletic directors shall interview these individuals and principal athletic directors recommends applicants to human resources department through the application. It's not coach balance responsibility. Administrative administrative procedure APG290 hiring non-faculty coaches also not coach Brown's responsibility falsification

137of public records number two Mr. Brown does not have supervisory authority over Knox County personnel. That's exhibit 7, exhibit 8, exhibit 9, exhibit 10, exhibit 11, exhibit 12. Exhibit 13 talks about the administrative policies that the superintendent is responsible for. Okay. So, in an employee handbook, he committed to no violations. And lastly, I would like to say um superintendent falsified public records and defame the character of coach Lamar Brown. knowingly, which will result in immediate reinstatement as an intervention teacher and head coach. And after Coach Brown's reinstated, the district attorney and Knox County law director and state attorney general should investigate this. Thank you, Angela Taylor, if you'll state your name and county resident, you'll have three minutes. Angela Taylor, Knox County. Mr. Triplet, I would like to request one additional minute. Please require a

138motion and a second. I'll make a motion. Miss Taylor does work for us and is on one of our regional teams. Second. All those in favor say I. I. Any opposed? Motion carries. She'll have four minutes to speak. Thank you, Dr. Dr. Risewick, school board members, assistant superintendent. Until yesterday at 3:00, I was a secondary ELA facilitator, a position I have held for the last six years. At that time, I and many of my colleagues began receiving phone calls informing us that our positions had been cut and we had been reassigned to various positions in KCS. I recognize that KCS cannot control the government's freeze on title 2 funds and I recognize that there is fallout on many levels anytime educational funding is frozen. However, tonight I am asking the board to do two things.

139Number one, investigate the legality and the policies of changing position funding sources without informing your employees. And number two, investigate the inequity in which people were cut and reassigned. It is my understanding that central office employees are told the funding source for their position. As we know, funding sources can be fickle and this process informs employees of their sources so that they are aware of potential cuts each year when funding and budgets are proposed and accepted. In 2019, I took the job of secondary ELA facilitator, a job I was told was funded through the general purpose budget. I have never been told that my funding source changed. So, you can imagine my surprise when in a single sentence an HR representative told me that I had been moved and cut from the title 2 budget.

140Many of my colleagues have similar stories. The fallout of the cuts astounds me. Our content teams have been cut with no real sense of equity. Facilitators who fell under the general purpose budget with me are now assigned to teaching positions across the district. Others who were hired at later dates as the regional structure grew and who were funded through federal dollars maintained positions. Every facilitator in the secondary ELA department was cut. We are the only department that did not retain a single facilitator. In addition to content facilitator cuts, the entire gifted and talented department was dispersed. I want parents across KCS to hear and understand the impact this will have on your intellectually gifted students. Previously, GT coaches developed lessons, taught small groups of students, wrote IEPs. Now, already strapped for time, elementary teachers will

141be left to design the content of an additional daily small group during enrichment. Coaches who were walking families through IEPs for intellectually gifted students and supporting the students across KCS will no longer be able to support these families. Unfortunately, due to this reorganization, the gifted and talented department who all appear to be funded through the general purpose budget now have the jobs of content facilitators who were reassigned to classrooms. Yes, that's correct. The position I held 48 hours ago for six years was supposedly cut and now belongs to a GT coach. It is possible that a GT coach with no secondary ELA experience will be asked to support the school improvement plans of the region one schools I have supported, including West High School. Meanwhile, I have been assigned a sixth grade ELA position, a

142grade level my educator license does not cover. I have worked in KCS for 20 years. I have lived in South Knoxville my entire adult life. I taught at West High School for nine years, Career Magnet Academy for two, and South High School for three. I have worked as a secondary ELA facilitator for the last six years. My children attend Bowmont Magnet Academy and Bearden Middle School. I have invested in KCS and its students, and I am fearful about how these cuts will impact our work in Knox County. Even if the board's inquiry finds everything to be done according to policy, I want to say the way facilitators were treated is unprofessional and unethical. Again, I asked the board to investigate the legality and the policy of changing position funding sources without informing employees and investigate

143the inequity in which these people were cut and reassigned. Thank you. Robert Peace, if you'll state your name and county resident. You'll have three minutes. Robert Peace, Knox County. Uh, good evening board members. I think everybody knows how I feel about Coach Brown after uh, Monday night and I just want to say you truly don't know someone's leadership ability until you face challenging times. It's easy to lead when things are going well. But it's in the hard moments when people are hurting, confused, and looking for answers. That's when true character is revealed. Today, I stand here not just as a parent, but as a voice for the West High School community. I have six questions that this community wants answers to. We deserve honest answers. I know I'm limited three minutes, so I'm going to

144ask them all now. And I hope you'll show us the respect by responding with transparency and courage. When Howerin Hill asked, "How are the students?" Superintendent, you cannot answer that because you didn't know. I understand legal limitations, but when the West football team is left without answers for nearly six weeks, did you ever reach out and say, "I see you. I support you. I got your back. I'm going to stand with you." Because that's not a legal issue. That's a leadership issue. You mentioned you have two daughters. If your daughters were in a classroom with someone charged as a predator, would you want to be informed? Would you want the opportunity to support her emotionally? Why were parents never notified of Chad Brooks? If my daughter was in that class, I would want to know.

145I would want to be able to support my daughter. That's poor leadership. I sent you an email about the emotional state of my son and his teammates. Your assistant replied with, "Thank you for your support." Do you think that's the way he reply to the emotional state of your students? I don't. You said on the Howerin Hill Show, "Everything carries your brown brand." You also said that night that the KC KCS athletic director hired will will hire and train the West coaches. Were you aware at the time that he hired and supervised a coach that sent explicit pictures of himself to students? Is that the leadership we're trying to model? A non-OOT teacher removed a computer from Chad Brooks's classroom after his arrest. The teacher was not fired until WBIR requested the public file. Why

146was she only given a verbal warning? You say you emphasize with the West family. If that's the case, why did you only allow Dr. Spece to speak to parents at the same time as this board board meeting? That's not support, that's avoidance. It's not time to be a public servant. It's time to step up with cou courage. It's time to be a leader. It's time to reinstate Lamar Brown. And if you don't know the answers to these questions, it's time to ask him those questions. Thank you for your time. Jessica Jessica Jones, I think. Jessica, if you'll state your name and county residents, you'll have three minutes. Jessica Jones, Knox County. So, I sent an email. Of course, like everybody else, we got no response from it. So, I just thought I'd read just a

147brief of what I had said in this email. I have a son that's at West right now that played. I have another son that graduated from West and played under Coach Brown. Um, and so in my email, I'm just going to briefly say this. I know this is just another email from a West parent, but I'm begging you as a mother and are you mothers and fathers to bring back Coach Brown. Our kids need his mentorship, love, and compassion for this game. And they need him to be the they need him to be the best that they can be. Coach Brown stands on those sidelines cheering them, coaching them, and mentoring them all day and even on Friday nights all through the week. I've never felt more left let down by a system as I

148do because as a mother I could not imagine my last child playing for anyone else in Knox County. We love Coach Brown and we do not do not want to have another coach. I am sorry but as mother I would never in my life condone anybody to commit a crime. I've been a nurse for 17 years and never in my lifetime would I condemn that. But that man sitting back there right now, if you can't look at him and see that he is crying, he is emotional and he is like this anytime he takes on these kids. I have watched this man stand in front of a hundred people, 200 people and ball his eyeballs out because he was so proud of those kids. He loves them. He cares about them. And I am involved

149in that program just as well as all these other moms that you see back here. We're there Thursday nights. We're there every night of camp. I take a whole week off work so I can be at camp. We are a community and I have I grew up on Southerntherland Avenue across the street. Graduated from Southerntherland. My husband graduated from Southerntherland. My whole family, my parents own a business on Southerntherland Avenue. We invest so much money in West High School and right now I'm so upset with this. I'm hurt. And my child last night posted a thing on TikTok talking about cell phones and said, "How do I play without my coach being around? How do I play? I don't have my mentor there." There's plenty of coaches and we love them, but we love Coach

150Brown and this community loves Coach Brown. And I really hope that you guys reinstate him. And I really hope that you take our kids into consideration. I'll be happy to let you talk to mine. I'll bring him up here if you need to. But I really, really hope you all understand that this is a mistake and it's not fair to accuse a man of something that he did not commit a crime over. Thank you. [Music] Just confirming Jus Mills is not here. So not here. Very good. Madam Chair, that concludes public forum. Thank you, Mr. Triplet. Thank you all for being here this evening. With that, we are adjourned.