001e e e you I wanted to wait till you girls were were in welcome to the board of education's May 9th 2024 regular session meeting please stand as we observe a moment of silence followed by the Pledge of Allegiance led by Miss Horn face the pled flag I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the rep for it stands one nation God indivisible with liy and justice for all we just have a few announcements before we get into our agenda Mr triplet will not be in attendance tonight due to out of town travel and just a reminder that our high school graduation ceremonies begin on Thursday May 6 May 16th and run through Friday May 24th I look forward to seeing my fellow board members and Superintendent risewick at
002many of these ceremonies and on behalf of the board I wish our amazing class of 2024 the best as they begin their postsecondary Journeys we couldn't be proud of their accomplishments and we have a few of them here with us this evening for special recognition so we're excited to celebrate them with and all of our seniors also please note that May 23rd is the last half day of school our students in May 24th is the last day for teachers I know we all hope for an amazing well-deserved summer break for each of them and I also want to remind everyone that it is national teacher appreciation week so please remember to Express gratitude for all of our amazing Educators in our schools are there any requested changes to the agenda Miss bike um yes I
003would like to request a uh remove and replace on 11f I have an up updated version but it also has an updated title and Miss cotney let me know that we need to make sure and have that correct when it's called out okay and um I everyone has copies of these and anyone that's in the audience that would like a copy um Miss Herington has them printed out for you okay thank you I guess do we need a second to change the agenda or how does that okay yeah a motion to approve the agenda that's true okay okay do we have a motion to approve the agenda so Madame chair that new caption would be to um have discussion and possible action on a resolution of the Board of Education of knoxx County Tennessee affirming
004that school security officers and school resource officers will continue to be the only armed Personnel on Knox County School's campuses all right so we have a motion to approve the [Music] agenda okay motion by Mr Watson a second by Miss Horn all those in favor I any opposed okay motion carries all right so do we do that change later does that work yeah I'll just read it that way got got okay so we'll now move on to our special recognition of our Bearden High School and fargate Middle School dance team so I'll turn it over to well I know he Coach Brown so Coach Brown thank you madam chair superintendent risewick board members and staff we've been trying for a couple months to schedule a time to recognize the Bearden high school and faragate middle
005school dance teams but as you can imagine these talented students are in very high demand we're excited that we're able to recognize them tonight before I call them up I want to highlight just a few of their accomplishments for more than 40 years the universal dance Association national dance team championship has been the culmination of the season for dancers across the country it is known as the most prestigious high school championship in the United States this year our Bearden High School dance team is celebrating their eighth National Championship the team took home the gold medal in the large Varsity Palm division this team is a group of student athletes who support Athletics groups and clubs by performing as Spirit Squad on the sidelines and at other events additionally they compete in uh Varsity Jazz palm
006and game day at the tsaa state championship and the UDA Championship each year this is bearden's fourth Palm title and the team's fourth straight year winning a title in any division the team also brought home a bronze medal in the large Varsity Division 1 game day category and a seventh place finish in the large Varsity Jazz division the team who has been coached by head coach Hannah Keithley for 12 years has won all eight of its titles under her leadership congratulations to coach Keithley assistant coach Katherine Brassfield and school sponsor Rebecca Nutter faragate Middle School's dance team earned a national championship for the second year in a row this 13 member Squad won first place in Palm and second place in jazz in the junior high school category under the guidance of head coach Macy
007Brink is is impressive to note that nearly half of this team's members were new this year they also won a tble esta State title last December congratulations to coach Brink assistant coach Laura Warrington and school sponsor Elizabeth Wilson it is my honor to recognize both of these teams for their local state and National accomp accomplishments I will start with the Bearden High team and as I call your name please come forward and face the audience uh after everyone has called we we'll take a quick photo ready Abigail [Applause] Adams Kinsey Banks anley Brown Baylor Brown Caroline Brown stand to the side there Emily Carver Addison Dugen Avery duncanson [Applause] Candace [Applause] Eastman Piper g mallerie h [Applause] Haskins Jordan [Applause] James Elijah gazah Avery lemoncelli Sophia [Applause] Lewis kayn Martinez Elizabeth mlin Marian Mitchell [Applause]
008Lana [Applause] Nelson Brielle picket Caitlyn [Applause] Ry Whitley [Applause] Sams mallerie Simpson Katherine [Applause] Smithy Abigail Standifer mateline [Applause] Taylor Kelsey Wright coach Hannah Keithley assistant coach Katherine Brassfield and school sponsor Rebecca [Applause] Nutter right you guys just slide just up a little bit so you can all squeeze okay piur okay will and you'll send them to me okay I'm gonna can I actually I'm gonna do this [Applause] and now for the faragate middle school team you ready Emory [Applause] Campbell Riley [Applause] cronis Kate [Applause] Fowler Emma Kate [Applause] Kilpatrick Brooklyn Knight Ella Marie [Applause] Lambert Natalie [Applause] Mack Riley Mack Audrey MCB [Applause] Parker Miller Sarah shup Caitlyn [Applause] Stickley Mary Ella Wendell [Applause] coach Macy Brink assistant coach Laura Warrington and school sponsor Elizabeth Wilson jeez [Music] con [Applause] I was gonna say
009y'all don't have to stay for this whole meeting congratulations again girls for so proud of you [Applause] I know several of them so I was really excited to see that it's very special okay all right we will get into our regular agenda items Miss cotney take it away thank you mam chair item seven consent agenda motion by Mr Watson a second by miss waren any discussion all those in favor say I I any opposed motion carries 8A approved second reading of knots County Board of Education policy b180 public forum as amended motion by Miss Horn a second by Miss Christie any discussion all those in favor say I I any opposed motion carries 8B approved second reading of not County Board of Education policy d241 internal School funds as amended motion by Miss Owen a
010second by Miss Horn do we have any discussion seeing there's no discussion all those in favor say I I any oppos motion carries eight C approve second reading of KN County Board of Education policy d280 fundraising activities as amended motion by Miss Owens second by was that you miss Fike second by Miss bike any discussion all those in favor say I I any opposed motion carries 8 D approved second reading of kns County Board of Education policy e120 safety as amended motion by Reverend Butler a second by Miss Horn do we have any discussion all those in favor say I I any opposed motion carries 8 e approve second reading of knots County Board of Education policy e122 emergency preparedness planning and training as amended motion by Miss Horn a second by Miss Christie any
011discussion all those in favor say I I any opposed motion carries 8 F approved second reading of kns County Board of Education policy e123 crisis management as amended a motion by Reverend Butler a second by Miss Bank any discussion all those in favor I any opposed motion carries 8 G approv second reading of kns County Board of Education policy e170 student transportation management as amended that was a lot motion by Mr Watson second by Miss Horn any discussion all those in favor say I I any opposed motion carries 8 H approve second reading of KN County Board of Education policy e171 scheduling and routing as amended motion by Miss Horn second by miss fik any discussion all those in favor I any opposed motion carries eight I approve second reading of kns County Board of
012Education policy e172 agreement for Pupil Transportation Services as amended Mo motion by Reverend Butler second by Mr Watson any [Music] discussion all those in favor say I I any opposed motion carries 8 J approv second reading of kns County Board of Education policy e190 Food Service management as amended motion by Miss Owen a second by Mr Watson any discussion all those in favor say I I any opposed motion carries 8 K approv second reading of knot County Board of Education policy f121 building new athletic facilities as amend motion by Reverend Butler a second by Miss Horn do we have any discussion all those in favor I any oppose motion carries L 8 L approved second reading of knots County Board of Education policy I 341 uniform grading policy as amended motion by miss Warren second
013by Mr Watson any discussion all those in favor I any opposed motion carries 9A approved Tennessee Department of Education State School Improvement Grant in the total amount of 3,497 187.5 for Austin East Magnet High School Green Magnet Academy mayard Elementary School and Vine Middle Magnet School motion by Reverend Butler a second by Miss Owen do we have any discussion all those in favor I any opposed motion carries nineb approved Grant contract with the Tennessee Department of military and the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency for a public assistance grant in the amount of 1,534 3074 motion by Mr Watson a second by Miss bike any discussion all those in favor say I I any opposed motion carries 9 C approve Tennessee Department of Education additional targeted support and Improvement 23 Grant in the total amount of $225,000
014for East Knox County Elementary School H middle school and Morland Heights Elementary School motion by Miss Christie second by Miss Owen any discussion all those in favor say I I any opposed motion carries 90 approve Grant contract with the Tennessee Department of intellectual and developmental disability and receipt of Grant the amount of $2,500 designated for the purchase of an adult-sized changing table for pal High School motion by Miss spike is second by Miss Horn any discussion all those in favor say I I any opposed motion carries 9e approve Casey's cash for classrooms Grant they of $25,000 for Central High School motion by Miss Owen a second by Mr Watson any discussion all those in favor say I I any opposed motion carries 9f approve meissa Hope Foundation Grant the amount of $887,500 for Dogwood Elementary
015School motion by Miss Christie is second by Miss Owen any discussion all those in favor say I I any opposed motion carries N9 G approved niswonger Foundation AP access for all many grants in the total amount of $747 187 for the KCs Virtual School motion by Miss Horn a second by Miss Christie any discussion all those in favor say I I any opposed motion carries 9h approve Blue Cross Blue Shield of Tennessee Grant up to $344,000 designated for the the installation of a sensory room at Pleasant Ridge Elementary School motion by Miss Christie a second by Miss bike any discussion all those in favor say I I any oppose motion carries 10 a approv contracts with backflow Specialty Company Incorporated and Jared fire protection LLC for provision of backflow Services up to $100,000 annually for
016the term of June 1 2024 through May 31 2025 which may be extended for four additional years motion by Miss Horn a second by Miss Christie any [Music] discussion all those in favor say I I any opposed motion carries 10 B approved contracts with Dotson Pest Control orcan LLC and rill of North America Incorporated for provision of pest control services up to $150,000 annually for the term of June 1 through May 31st 2025 which may be extended for four additional years motion by Miss Horn second by Miss Christie any discussion all those in favor I any opposed motion carries 10 C approve contracts with energy Electric Incorporated skilled Services Quality Construction LLC and the Cherokee group for provision of electrical services up to $1 million annually for the term of May 1 2024 through April
01730th 2025 which may be extended for four additional years motion by Miss Owen a second by Reverend Butler any discussion all those in favor say I I any opposed motion carries 10 D approv contract with International backal laurate Organization for provision of an international diploma diploma program up to $200,000 annually for the term of June 1 2024 through May 31st 2025 which may be extended for four additional years a motion by Miss Christie a second by Reverend Butler do we have any discussion all those in favor say I I any oppos motion carries 10 e approved Consulting agreement with Milan Chicago LLC for provision of stakeholder engagement and information collection services to facilitate the 2025 through 2029 strategic plan up to $50,000 a motion by Miss Christie a second by Reverend Butler any discussion all
018those in favor say I I any opposed motion carries 11a approved 2025 Board of Education annual calendar a motion by Miss Horn a second by Miss Christie any discussion all those in favor I any opposed motion carries 11b approved 2025 2026 school year calendar a motion by Reverend Butler a second by Miss Owen do we have any discussion Miss bike thank you madam chair um I just wanted to bring up kind of some of what we had talked about on Monday um you know just that a lot of our families and parents are are not exactly happy with the early release days um and I'm curious if we have any other members that would be interested in potentially taking those off of the calendar for this next year because I am miss Warren thank you
019madam chair well this now this is actually for the next year right so so are you talking about for for the 25 um so I think that I think that I would I mean I spoke about that the other night that I'm interested in looking into that I really think that um I would I don't know if we want to make that decision or if we should just ask that they take it back to the teacher advisory Council and the principes and revisit that because I think there's there's obviously a disconnect somewhere and I mean it's I wouldn't mind hearing other board members but there's obviously a disconnect somewhere because what I'm hearing is very different than what than what you know we talked about the other night so and I would be happy to
020hear what um what Dr Wilson has to say and but yeah I I agree because I've heard from some people who are also um not not a fan of the days but I would like to maybe send that back and M Dr Wilson I know you had your light on no just say I'm happy to follow up however you all um feel is appropriate and we we talked about teacher Council family counsil the other night I talked about too if we wanted to do a broader reach uh Miss laer and I have talked about potential through Rea of of Designing a few survey items that we could send to families to administrators and to teachers to kind of grasp a full picture and i' just like to say this too um you know go I
021did go back today I said the other night I was not in the seat uh at the time that they they had these conversations and did that and I did go back and look at the board comments from when we talked about it before we certainly did propose it as a pilot effort um and you know I think the reality is we've you know over the last two years we've had nine of these so we've had 18 hours of participation in what those activities are um certainly in the first year some opportunity to refine those and so I think we certainly should look at the structure of how we're doing that um but also be ATT tuned that you know again where it came from originally and the why behind it hasn't probably changed that
022much in that we do need time and opportunities for our teachers to engage in professional development we may have to figure out what a different strategy for that is and I think we're open to that discussion um and then again if we can use some surveys and things to paint a better picture of you know what that might be then I think we're obviously open to that yeah I mean I think that would be and you know we obviously have and I know Dr Riso has his light on too so we can but we also have uh the 2425 school year also so they're on the calendar for 2425 so um so this is obviously even the calendar beyond that so you know I I think it's difficult for the principals have a certain Viewpoint
023and they know what what they want to accomplish in their building so you know we just have a lot of different um different agendas I mean I think everybody has their own perspective so I think a deeper dive could be helpful to see um what the big picture is and where what what it what makes the most sense I think it' be good to revisit it Miss Owen thank you madam chair um are we talking about just for 25 26 or we asking the staff to also look at next year I I think I think I would like to extend the ask to next year also um and also since that kind of thing is a working condition I'd like to see it discussed with Becca team thank you Dr thanks I I'll say uh
024to miss Owen's comment too it actually has been in and that was one of the I think last month's P peka meeting we were talking through some of that too just talking about what I think what what we heard from that was really working with that team to get clear expectations across the board and know Dr Wilson addressed it there too u i I just want to reiterate something that Dr Wilson said um because I think I know the guy who was in that seat when it passed on the pilot um but uh so so I just want to say it was it was with a lot of research and that's the part you guys are saying too I know you know Dr Adams was has been in Oak Ridge for had been in Oak
025Ridge a long time before coming here and there are systems that do that on a regular basis and you know when we were exploring why that was it was as Dr Wilson said like the work doesn't go away like you know what what needs to be done uh from planning for some of the small learning community things from some of the plc's professional learning communities uh the school-based things you know District doesn't use that time schools schools do uh to do what they need to do for there they all have school plans and it's like they don't really have any time during the year to work on the initiatives they have to deliver on so um I think I think that that's kind of what was born out of we had heard a lot at
026that time that there's not time in the day to get all this done and so um although we're hearing you maybe from some parents and things I totally agree we should we should dive into that um I think we just need to know like that work then has to be done at some point and um you know this isn't a trade-off of like a shorter calendar you know this is that will that'll be instructional time and they'll be teaching during that time so I just want to make sure as we do go into it that everybody has a full understanding of what that trade-off is is um because I think there had been times like like working to get to this and we do hear lots of times I know I see my friend Paul
027in the crowd we talk about you know time and teacher schedules every day um and trying to get that done so no doubt I I Echo what you say Dr Wilson we need to get better at defining what that is so that all schools are clear on that but at the same time the need for time uh comes across a lot so I I I again we'll look into it um I just want to make sure that we see the big picture too cuz we'll start hearing the others what saying it'll come back to soon when there's time for teachers to get this done yeah I totally agree with that yeah Miss Owen thank you mam chair um Dr Wilson I just have another ask while you're as while you're formulating that survey if you
028would ask Families how they feel about a full day rather than a half day a lot of what I'm hearing is frustration with trying to trying to schedule around that half day from families and from teachers feeling like it's sort of a waste Ed instructional day so if we could consider some other way to maybe move that around I think that might be helpful it would impact fewer total days Miss Horn thank you madam chair and you know Dr risewick to your point you know we did talk extensively about it then and you know there's obviously value and there's professional develop development that needs to happen so I do think it's a a combination of a disconnect of expectations and what the day is for and you know I in I said to one teacher
029in a perfect world the principal and the teachers would really work together on the best use of that time so that so that the teachers really feel like it is valuable time and if the teachers feel like it's valuable time then they're able to say to the parents I know this is an imposition but I think it's really helpful and valuable so I think I think there's a there's a lot of Disconnect maybe with in that Realm um that principles feel like they need this professional development but teachers feel like they need something else or or whatever so yeah that's what I'm hearing too so I think revisiting it is probably a good path yeah and that's why I'm see what's yeah what's the disconnect what are we looking to get out of this because
030and that's why I'm not comfortable making I don't think personally that we need to make a change I think that we need some you know kind of evidence-based decision making because um and I think based on what you find you know we may need to make a calendar change for the coming school year also so I agree with that yeah thank you guys that was a good discussion any more discussion so there's a motion on so there's a motion on the floor made by um Dr Butler and Miss Owen seconded that motion do you all want to withdraw your motion or yeah so good to vote okay all those in favor I any opposed motion carries 11 C approved fiscal year 2024 general purpose budget line item transfers for January 1 through March 31 2024
031in the amount of $3,722 motion by Miss Horn a second by Mr Watson any discussion all those in favor say I I any opposed motion carries 11d approved Charter School application review team substitutions motion by Mr Watson a second by Miss Horn any discussion Miss Christie um just a quick question I'm wondering what this would look like if we deferred it for one month since Mr triplet voiced some concerns about it um and he is not here tonight I mean is that a Dr riswick is that a an issue with with staff I think uh thank you Mr Christie Madam chair um I think Dr Wilson speak too that I think there are some trainings that are set up but you know how how said in Stone Those are he I let him answer that
032for you so I did speak with Miss Nixon and um the there is a training for the for the team as they move into doing you know the the the process for this year um and had spent some time with those team members kind of thinking through summer plans and vacations and all of those things the training was set originally for earlier in May but because of the conflicts of interest and the need to change the committee has now been pushed back to May the 20th is what the date is set for um so certainly if we deferred then that would be a date that would have to change um it is not probably an absolute deal breaker it might result in multiple trainings for smaller groups of people having to occur to accommodate schedules
033but um that's that's where we are on that I think my one of my concerns is this is always um a politically charged debate when when it comes up I know that they I mean what the Review Committee does is pretty straightforward right but you know with with that concern being brought up is it going to turn into an issue if they bring back a recommendation um that that's all that I mean I I think either of the people that were um suggested would be okay I you know and I don't know how other board members feel about it I mean I'm fine with moving forward but I don't know just to see how everybody else feels about it anyone else Miss Horn thank you um so basically it would cost more time if we
034did if we made it so I I mean based on that I I think that we should just go forward I agree but I appreciate you bringing those concerns up and talking through those is there any more discussion on this item okay seeing no more discussion all those in favor I any opposed motion carries 11e discussion and possible action on resolution affirming that school security officers and school resource officers will continue to be the armed Personnel on school campuses okay and we do have um several public speakers on this I'm going to play the role of Mr triplet tonight our first public speaker is Mr shaffield Bill shaffield welcome my name is Bill sofield I have a child in Knox County Schools and my wife is an employee of Knox County Schools as well I
035have a vested interest in this subject I also have a long list of firearm certifications Protective Service experience and Marksmanship credentials which I don't have enough time to list now I want to understood that what I'm about to say is not an indictment of any of the local law enforcement organizations I'm a graduate of the KPD Citizens Academy and I've gone on ride alongs with the police I have friends and family in law enforcement and I support them fully if the police are honest however they'll tell you that they cannot guarantee the safety of school children or staff they'll do their best but they cannot make assurances this is what we're talking about tonight when every other Safeguard has failed do you want the victims to have an option or not your resolutions are going
036to prevent victims from having options the only thing they'll be able to do if all the other options fail is cower and pray that someone with a gun shows up in time in a mass shooting the average is one victim shot every 8 seconds until the perpetrators stopped if the police have a three-minute response time the amount of time I'm allowed to speak and a very rapid response time at that that means that somebody will be shot more than 22 people will be shot in three minutes currently you have a number of schools with only one officer protecting them this is a single point of failure when that officer is compromised and I hope that never happens the shooter is free to do whatever they want shooting someone every eight seconds SRO and police are
037a great deterrent but they're also well identified they'll be the first people targeted by a determined shooter after that you have nothing left but to wait for backup time for a killer to kill if you think that won't happen I submit the Uvaldi in Parkland Florida incident es in Parkland the shooter was unopposed he kept shooting until he got bored and went to McDonald's for a snack this is what you're going to put in place with the resolutions tonight unfettered access to targets my wife my kid the criminals have several advantages the time they pick the time of the place the level of force they you will use there's nothing you can do about that but what they don't know is the level of response will be brought against them it's if it's only a
038uniformed officer then they do know the level of response if it's Anonymous capable people you significantly increase the risk to the perpetrator why would you give away the one advantage you can have it makes no sense do any of you know how many other states permit guns in schools it's 33 more than half do you know why you never hear about accidental or Rampage shootings that these that that encourages because it never happens if it did you'd surely hear about it the presence of trained capable armed adults in schools reduces the likelihood of a mass shooting incident you want to vote against that you're effectively voting for more mass shooting opportunities don't make a bad choice based on fear feelings or emotion make a good choice based on facts and logic thank you thank you
039sir next up uh Lori hefler Lori I'm so sorry welcome thank you just state your name in county of residence you have three minutes um uh my name is Lori Heisler and I'm a Knox County resident uh thank you members of the board for allowing me the opportunity to speak my name is Lori Heisler and I am a proud Community member of Knoxville and a lifelong children's Advocate and for me the decision to stand here tonight in front of you is deeply personal as a young girl school was always my safe haven especially during times of adversity at home raised by a teenage mother with my birth father battling drug addiction and incarceration and facing the turmoil of divorce multiple times throughout my childhood I experienced a handful of adverse childhood experiences statistically I should
040have never graduated high school yet like many of the students in Knox County School District school is where I found my refuge and felt safe and because of that I persevered ultimately becoming the first in my family to graduate high school the first to attend and graduate college and eventually obtaining a master's degree in educational leadership from my early days as an elementary teacher to becoming a school administrator and now in my current role as a trauma informed School consultant I've dedicated almost three decades of advocating for the mental health and safety and well-being of children taking a Firm Stance against teachers um against arming teachers aligns with this District's commitment to being trauma informed research consistently shows that the presence of more guns in schools increases student anxiety and is not a trauma-informed response
041our district has invested tremendous resources in becoming traum informed and and improving students mental health and arming teachers conflicts with these efforts it is evident that this board agrees that arming teachers is unnecessary in our district any hesitation or reluctance to issue a clear resolution undermines the trust to our students teachers families and stakeholders passing a resolution with clear and firm language provides the opportunity for this board to demonstrate unwavering confidence in our school resource officers and school security Personnel furthermore as a seasoned educator I can attest that a firm resolution against arming teachers will support support our efforts in attracting and retaining high quality Educators allowing teachers to focus on their core responsibilities but out the added concern of carrying firearms will ensure that we attract and retain the best Educators and finally it
042is crucial for this board to serve as a model for our students by demonstrating the willingness to listen to each other and to your constituents by communicating a clear message to the Knox County community that we have full confidence in our current school security security and safety personnel and do not see a need to arm teachers we can Inspire trust and unity within our district thank you thank you next Aaron KCK Aaron Aon K Knox County um I am am uh here to support the resolution that um Miss bike and Miss Owen have drafted I read over it um I think that Miss Christie's resolution is it really doesn't say anything it just says that we're going to continue to have the resource officers be the armed School Personnel that's like saying we're just going
043to continue to have the cafeteria workers serve food it's not really a resolution I like um the wording of the only armed Personnel at Knox County schools because that's clear I mean otherwise we're just stating facts of what's already happening um I have three different roles in my life that that give me this opinion um and I'll start with the first one I am a teacher I'm a preschool teacher and I could not imagine myself or my co-workers being armed at my school just even thinking of that as terrifying to me um that's not my role that's not my job um I don't have armed school security at my preschool um but I do not feel that we would be safer with guns I never feel that more guns is the answer to safety also
044I'm a parent um as a parent of a child in an oox County school I would not feel comfortable with her being in a classroom with teachers that have weapons I don't know these teachers I don't know what their intentions are we've had teachers the majority of them in Knox County are wonderful we have had teachers that have made some pretty poor decisions in classrooms in Knox County and I would hate to think about that happening with a loaded firearm terrifying as a parent my third role is as a community member I live on the same street as an elementary school and I would not like to think of my neighborhood all of a sudden allowing 50 additional people to start bringing guns into our neighborhood and on our streets that is another thing that
045is scary to me um I would even take it further I think that Chief per yard is a very very competent man he has great team with him the school security and the school resource officers I think that's all we need let's not forget that there's still a family that is mourning the loss of their child after someone with a legal right to have a gun came into Austin East high school and shot him if that person had knowledge of the child if that person had been someone that regularly was at school maybe Anthony Thompson Jr would not be dead right now but I cannot imagine that a solution for safety is more guns thank you thank you Samantha sing Samantha state your name and County of residence you have three minutes my name is
046Samantha sing I'm from Knox County I'm here as a very concerned parent of two children in Knox County Schools um I watched this law get passed I watch the legislative sessions the Committees and I understand that in some rural areas in Tennessee there might not be law enforcement in every school but there definitely are law enforcement officers in every school in Knox County and we don't need to have teachers that have guns in our schools as a parent it is very important to me that that this board says very firmly that we will not arm our teachers anything less than that is saying that you're planning to allow our teachers to carry guns our students families and frankly our teachers and staff deserve a firm understanding of where you stand on this we have trained
047law enforcement officers on our campuses to protect our students and staff and that is very clearly the preference of the majority of Knox County Citizens in February of 2010 a teacher shot a principal and assistant principal in a Knox County school we we shouldn't forget that a teacher it doesn't matter what training people have or what goes into it before we let somebody bring a gun into a school if we're allowing people to bring guns into school that aren't Law Enforcement Officers we shouldn't allow other people who aren't Law Enforcement Officers to bring guns into our schools with our kids please send a firm message to everyone in Knox County and tell us what you really want is for our teachers not to be armed thank you thank you Andre KY Andre I hope I
048pronounced your last name right sir oh you want a few welcome all right cool appreciate it all right um Knox County uh so I'll be pretty quick uh I was prepared to speak cuz I thought i' sign up yesterday uh so I signed up today I've been pretty cut and dry about it though um I ran for school board around 2018 and I was asked to around Armen teachers after the Parkland shooting in Florida and my response it was immediate I said kids will get shot it sound hyperbolic right cuz I I would run it for office you know sometime those sound bites you know gather you know gather some information I mean some attention but I wasn't too far off disparities are already bad with school discipline and school outcomes the gun violence which
049I'm also addressing in my in my professional life they'll also be the case right there's not a lot of teachers teacher advoc advocacy groups students not a lot of parents parents groups are supporting armed teachers that's just like the facts right there's no feelings about it not a lot of people the stakeholders the teachers the the parents the children are are with this and also what the previous speaker said about the principal that was shot that was my P teach you from C green right uh so with this with this proposal to Armed teachers it further illustrates the prison and school pipeline what it does is illustrate to children that there is no safe place particularly where some teachers will not be some people will not be informed about armed teachers in their school so
050it creates that unease and that trauma as the previous speaker said and increases more anxiety and more tense you're already in a tense situation right and colum Bond there there were SRO and currently with KNX County security I'm sure there is a already a protocol and procedures about how to address any kind of violence how an armed teacher will factor in that I don't know it may mess up their their game plan their their protocols or policies stuff like that so if something happens are they a part of that protocol are they a part of those procedures I don't know it may create more chaos uh than Solutions right uh so I agree everybody else I propose a res resolution to firmly stand that we as Knox County is against arm and teachers we have
051SRO we have security officers they work fine and we should be about the students and the teachers and the parents who all opposing it so let's stand behind them thank you thank you Chris teft Miss teft did you want to speak to these resolutions the topic was not clear no okay you we'll call you at at the next time Sean Murphy thank you and if you'll state your name and County of residence for the record Shan Murphy Knox County I have a different perspective I grew up in Connecticut I lived 20 minutes from Sandy Hook when it happened I'm privy to things that are not public because I have a connection in that community and what I'm seeing in in the public comment tonight is the same disturbing problems that Connecticut had in 2012 the
052first thing is I've been to two Schoolboard meetings I've heard teachers stand up I wouldn't trust many of them with a gun they don't trust themselves we shouldn't trust them either this for the law is voluntary people should be picked you don't pick everybody I don't have the training to defend a school I wouldn't accept that I'd take the training if I were a teacher the first and it really concerns me because Connecticut didn't learn from its mistakes they tore the little history on it they tore the school down made the people sign a non-disclosure agreement tore the whole thing down and covered the whole thing up and wouldn't have the conversation I lived in New Town for a year and I left cuz I couldn't stand there was an aura in that place because
053the community never talked to each other about this horrible event here are the problems that we Face number one if you support a resolution where you don't want anyone but police armed in school here's what I'd like you to do for the Schoolboard members and the public put a sign in your front yard that says my home has no guns Watch What Happens because the people who look at this rationally not emotionally knows you're going to have a problem gun-free zones are where 94% of mass shootings happen look up John lot lot TT knows way more about this than I do and he's way smarter the mere fact of eliminating a gun-free zone meaning I'm asking you to do the following pass a resolution that says guns are allowed in the school you will not
054speak in public as to who's allowed and you don't have to allow anybody the mere fact of eliminating the gun free zone will make a big difference because Shooters Target schools they target gun free zones Aurora Colorado when the guy shot up the movie theater drove to go shoot one up New Town Connecticut another problem you're facing is the Castle Rock decision from the US Supreme Court police are not required to defend us if there's one SRO and he's on the other side of the building or in the bathroom you have no defense I hope we never have this problem here like I watch this go on the principal lived in the town I was living and I had to watch uh we had to stand out in the street in front of her her
055um funeral because a bunch of people were trying to protest it we want to make sure that we have the element of surprise so you can pass a resolution that says guns are allowed you don't tell any you can just privately say we're not arming anybody that's one thing we need to do and be responsible and stop being so emotional about guns thank you thank you let's see Lauren is Lauren here oh oh hello oh we were just talking um so you didn't write down what you wanted to speak about is it this is not awesome okay so we'll see you at the end Lauren um also Donna same Donna did you want to speak on this item all right come on up welcome just at your name County of residents you have three minutes
056my name is Donna trassi Knox County uh formerly from the suburbs of New York City so I do also have a different stance on this topic I was very disheartened and disappointed in The Stance taken on this um on the subject of teachers being armed by this board I'm going to start over I was disheartened and disappointed in The Stance taken on um by this board against teachers and faculty defending themselves and our students against acts of violence and mass shootings we have worked to remove pornographic and murderous material in KCs School libraries you have fought us only when you were backed into a corner by public reev uh revelation of your own KCs computer servers Banning the very material we have begged you to voluntarily remove did you take any action and it was
057minimal and non effective you provide our children with instructions on mass shootings with graphic comic book style novels titled assassination classroom and you refuse to remove these books every morning parents send their children off with a hope and a prayer that they'll be safe they pray the school on the news won't be their school they pray the names on the next Memorial won't be the names of their children lives are more important than feelings lives are more important than your electability in the next election you have an opportunity to potenti save lives by empowering those who are qualified and most importantly choose to protect others to do so don't waste it thank you Donna Sherry super did you want to speak on that you're at the end also okay and then Ellen Lee you didn't
058write down what you're is do you want to speak on this okay come on up Ellen good evening my name is Ellen Lee and I am let me see what I am I am a resident of Knox County born and raised here um moved away came back retired here and I have siblings grandchildren nephews nieces that have attended Knox County and Knox City Schools from one end of the county to the other so so I very invested and very invested in my children and my grandkids and everybody that that go there um let me say first that I really want to to thank Dr resck for his comment the day after that the bill was passed into law I felt like that gave a lot of people in the community a sense of reassurance um
059I think I think it was a major move at a major time U I think what I'm here today is to ask that the school board basically give Dr Resnik support give the community the support and give them the definitive answer that we support Dr Resnik we support not arming our teachers and this being Teachers Appreciation Week I'm thinking dear Lord give the teachers a break but anyway um I just I just ask for that plus I I want to say I I'm I'm pretty sure I know I am older than anybody on this board and probably anybody else in this room so that being said age with all the aches and pains also comes with with a little knowledge and a little Judgment of character and I truly believe that Dr Resnik from what
060I have seen him do in the past years our new police chief and our our Sheriff train the people that they have under them and on the fact that they too all those people the policemen the sheriffs and the deputies they have children in these schools I'm totally believe that they will take every fiber of their being to protect our children and I believe that they and it's not easy I'll also tell you something else as far as Sandy Hook I know millions of men women in this country I'm standing here today in this shirt because of Sandy Hook so there has something good coming to try to do gun safety in schools and homes and communities that came out of Sandy Hook that is our hope for tomorrow so I'm asking that you please
061adopt this resolution by board member biker thank [Applause] you well that concludes public forum on this item so now any discussion Miss Christie thank you madam chair I will keep this very brief as I stated Monday night the resolution I submitted was written in a manner not to be political politically charged I do not oppose this bill I'm thankful that it grants local control which is something this board is constantly asking for um and not all school districts have the the resources we have I mean we do have armed officers in in all our schools multiple armed officers in many of them um it recognizes the millions we've invested in security it recognizes our tremendous Partnerships with KPD and the sheriff's department um and the dedication of our school security officers in in Chief periard
062and finally again as a mom of a Michigan State Student it's a reflection of my gratitude to those who do run toward the danger when we have a loved one In Harm's Way um I'm sorry if my resolution is not strong enough for everyone but you know sometimes to get a resolution or something like this passed you have to meet in the middle I hate resolutions the fact that I submitted one is my middle that is my compromise and and that is my resolution is the only resolution that I will be voting on and I am happy with it the way it was written and that's really all I have to say about it thank you Miss Christie Reverend Butler thank you madam chair I do thank uh Miss Christie and Miss bike both for
063the effort Miss Owens what part she played uh to bring us resolutions I do believe in resolutions uh for the purpose of a resolution it says what you're going to do what you believe in until you change your mind until something changes your mind so I do think resolutions serve a purpose I don't think we need to have one on everything but I think we need to have one on this one simply because the public has asked us to uh I thank uh once again miss Christie for this resolution um because it does support our uh Personnel both the work for Knox County Schools and those who work for um Knoxville Police Department and Knox County Sheriff dep Department I do I do would like and I like most of the language all the language
064that I see quite honestly but I do I do uh think that we need to have a specific uh statement that either we do or we don't and I think that that's not here with that last statement so I move to amend this motion to insert in the now therefore be it resolved that Knox County Board of Education hereby affirms that certifi law enforce of personnel I equipped to manage the Safety and Security of Knox County Schools to main the highest possible standards for student safety school security officers school resource officers and other other law enforcement officers will continue to be the and insert only armed personel on campus that is the motion to a men give a second so you vote on the amended motion first and then if that you go back to
065the original okay Miss Owen thank you madam chair I could support that resolution as amended um we have heard what happens when a teacher takes a gun into one of our local schools we know that to be true and we know that years later this was still having to deal with um what had happened not arming teachers does not mean that we're creating a gun-free zone we still have our armed officers we are all supporting our armed officers that is um what both of these resolutions do and I I see no reason to not support our officers one thing I'd like to share with this board is that I have a relative who um until recently worked at a facility for incarcerated youth they were incarcerated for committing felonies and she was a teacher there
066so these are teenagers who had committed murder and were incarcerated um her classes were ages um 16 to 18 in that facility they had no armed teachers they had no armed guards a medium security facility for teenagers who have committed felonies and they believed that those students were best served by not having arms in their classrooms by not having armed teachers or armed guards I think we need to really think about that and consider all of the times that we've had discussions about reasons we don't want to put fences around some of our schools is because we don't want to have the feeling that it's um like a prison when we start arming multiple people in a school we are creating that feeling much more than with offence how our students feel about going to
067school every day matters how parents feel about sending their students to school every day matters how our teachers feel about going to school every day matters um I don't think anyone in this room wants to consider me being armed in a classroom with kindergarteners that's not something we would want our security officers are very well trained significantly More Than This law would allow for teachers hundreds of hours more we need to make a very firm statement so that there is no question about our intent thank you thank you Mr Watson thank you madam chair um rever Butler I appreciate the suggestion of the change Miss Christie I appreciate you taking the effort and Miss Mike um to get out ahead of this and uh try to help us make a statement and craft a statement
068Miss Christie I can I've been on the board you know going on four years and uh know the struggles uh we have sometimes as a board to be unified in our response and uh I could clearly see that was your attempt in this was to you know get something that could pass that would be a statement out there I would assume and I'm happy for you to correct me publicly too but I would assume that the timing of this resolution is indirect response to to the law that was passed I I would assume that if that law didn't get passed this resolution wouldn't have been written and so because of that I think the resolution should at least in some way address um the issue at hand and I think as written um it does
069a great job um speaking to the support that we have for our officers and for our security personnel and um I think during like a law enforcement awareness week that would have been a great resolution just to put during that one particular time but because of the timing of this I think without that word only um I think it's I think all it is isn't a statement about how much we uh value our officers and and I I don't think that's what's needed in the moment and and I think the word only does it um and I would hope that um by suggesting the word only that that doesn't prevent us from passing it because I think that would speak to your initial concern right that uh you know that we have such a hard
070time sometimes as a board passing a unified statement and I would hope that the that word only would not be the be the thing that does it um and again I'm if this is something that you might have brought at another time I'm happy to hear that but I would assume that it was in direct response to the law that was passed um not as an indictment against the law but as a message uh related to the law so miss Christie I think your L was on next even though your name's not showing up here but go ahead thank you madam chair um I'm actually happy with the language of my resolution I have sat through countless policy review meetings where we have hacked policies up because we've this word's not necessary this word's not
071necessary it you know we need to it the the the resolution's clear I feel I mean again this is this is the resolution that I will support as it's written I just miss horn thank you madam chair um I I just need to point this out and then I'm going to just re reiterate what I said on Monday night because I think it still stands but I think it's important to look at the facts of this law and the fact is that teach if if Knox County Schools or any District put this into place it would be teachers volunteering and being vetted I think it's disingenuous and it's just false it's a false narrative that any District would go to Any teacher and ask them if they would want to carry a firearm in a
072school I just don't see that happening so I I think just continuing to say that is is just spreading fear and it's unnecessary and I just wish we wouldn't do that I wish we would dwell in the facts of of the spirit of the law and what's actually in the law and so that's just kind of as an aside um I would also say I'm I'm also not against this law and I'll reiterate what I said on Monday night I don't think that we as a board should be discussing Security in a public meeting I think that we need to trust our superintendent and our school security Chief periard to make security decisions for matters pertaining to security that's why we employ them I think we need to trust them to make these decisions and
073that we should not be discussing Security in a public meeting and I so I will not be um voting for the amended resolution Reverend Butler thank you madam chair and uh I appreciate what I've heard from my colleagues uh I want to just make sure that that is clear that as I approached this I looked at the law because it is a law it's a state law so it doesn't matter whether I support it or not it's a state law so we're going to I think it's important that we understand that as Knox County school board we we obey the law so now that I understand what the that it's a law what do we do with it what I'm understanding there was two options one was to allow teachers to be armed and it
074gave the guidelines that it has in the law right now and the other was that we do do not so that was the two options and so basically what I was looking at and once again uh the language of this um resolution I like because it doesn't even have to address the law it uh in terms of whether we like it or not it's basically that we feel like we have uh whatever we have in place is in place and it works and so at this point we do not have to arm teachers and so we won't and we and and what what I'm hearing uh the community want is that we make a statement are we are not so I'm saying I think we ought to make a statement that's why with this resolution
075for me it works and it works well if we put only in there so it's not to say this is not a good uh statement is that it's not for me a definitive statement and so I call for previous question unless someone vote on that on the question okay all those in favor of calling the question say I I any oppose okay motion carries so now we will now vote on the motion to amend so we will be voting on the amended resolution Miss Terry can you do a roll call vote please thank you madam mam chair Dr Butler yes Miss Owen yes Mr Watson yes Miss bike yes Miss Horn no M Mr Wright no Miss Christie no Miss Henderson no that's four yes votes and four no votes okay motion fails so now
076we go back to the original resolution can we then have discussion on that or was it call the question for the whole thing okay Mr Watson has a technical question um so we're um we're voting on the particular item at hand we obviously know that there's another item similar to it after this um should this item pass um I'm assuming we would still have the discussion on the last item although it's very similar um is there is there any I'm assuming there's no way to combine the discussion between the two I mean it seems it seems odd that I don't think we're going to pass both of them I think that's pretty clear but it's also seems odd that there's the potential we could pass both of them so I've wondered the same thing when
077we had two of the you know similar items on so I would so I would say this Mr Watson that there's there's two items on the agenda this board could pass neither pass one or pass both so and there's no way to combine the both items correct through a motion made motion to amend you could always make a motion [Music] yes M Christie yeah again I want to want to speak to um the public discussions because that was a concern of mine as well and just to be clear I did before this draft was attached I did share it with Mr duper shared it with Chief periard who is here tonight I also shared it with Sheriff Spangler and chief Noel and had personal conversations with both of them as well um and did not
078get any feedback as to not moving forward with it if that makes sense I mean I changes from them right I I feel like I I know that if there were concerns they would have and and I would re have respected that I just want to be clear about that I feel like your resolution is very clear and as I said Monday night I will vote on the original document um Reverend Butler so um and I hope it's appropriate we can have dialogue because I think that's important uh is that all right we have dialogue okay so it's saying Miss Christie that the way that it's written that this means that we're not going to arm students I mean I'm sorry we are not we are definitely not doing that yes Dr Butler we can
079all agree on that one I feel confident and saying that definitely we will not be arming students because they may be the next when we talk about the victims being armed they are victims right so uh so we're saying when when are we saying with this statement that we are not arming teachers that is CN of this statement that things that we are trusting our um Security Professionals and experts to manage the Safety and Security of our schools so the way that it is and I'm I'm I'm sounding like um the question been ask and answered but I just want to make sure so the way as as I read it the way it stands that um you know I noticed Mr Wright you was noding that it says to you that we're not going
080to arm teachers okay thank you all right is there any more discussion on this item okay so we are now voting on the original resolution from Miss Christie Miss cotney can you please take a roll call vote Miss Owen pass Mr Watson pass Miss bike pass Miss Horn yes Mr Wright yes Miss Christie yes Miss Henderson yes Dr Butler would you like to change your pass vote Yes Miss Owen would you like to change your pass vote Yes Mr Watson would you like to change your pass vote Yes Miss bike would you like to change your pass vote do you want to change it to no or you're still passing okay thank you so that is seven yes votes and one pass vote okay so motion carries item 11f discussion and possible action on resolution
081of the Board of Education of knot County Tennessee affirming that school security officers and school resource officers will continue to be the only armed Personnel on knot County School's campuses motion by Miss Bank a second by Miss Owen do we have any discussion on this item Miss bike thank you um I know we've talked a lot about this we talked a lot about it on Monday so the only thing well I'm gonna say that I really appreciate Miss owens's Board member Owens um bringing the resolution that she brought on on Monday um I when I first turned what I had in that was originally on the agenda it was before it was actually a law and um certainly was a strong response and I recognize that and so I really appreciate what um board member
082Owens brought to us on Monday and so I appreciate that she was willing to meet with me today at our publicly called meeting where we were able to draft with some community members as well this and I feel like it is very succinct and very clear and um I really appreciate you know what we've substituted in here um and so with that I will just read this email that we all all appear to have gotten from an educator it says uh this was sent yesterday morning it says good morning now that this ridiculous teacher Carrie bill has actually been signed into law I am again asking SL borderline demanding that you do not allow anyone besides school sro's and or KPD I assume she also meant to include Knox County Sheriff's Department um to carry
083guns in our schools I do not and will not feel safe going to work or allowing my children to attend school and this if this is allowed as I have stated previously if teachers are allowed to anonymously to most of us carry guns the odds of an accidental shooting are much higher than the odds of these teachers somehow protecting students from an active shooter we go and this is the part that really kind of hit me um where she says we go through training every single school year that teaches us as teachers what to do in a case of an act shooter situation in a school we have to witness over and over again these tragedies and learn from what these other teachers and students did right and what they did wrong and learn from
084their mistakes we are taught that hiding locking doors and staying quiet is the best thing that we can do as teachers to keep our kids safe and allow trained SRO and KPD officers to do what they are trained to do this is how our schools should remain do the right thing and that really hit me um especially and that's why you know I understand that this is a law and that um maybe some other school systems are going to benefit from it but for Knox County I think we have very good system in place and I appreciate all of the leadership and the people that do those jobs and so I feel like this resolution represents that accurately and sends a very clear message thank you do we have any more discussion on this item
085Reverend Butler so um thank you for putting this together and thank you all for going through the process of of looking at it again and meeting with the public those who came out with you um what I really like about this one is the be it resolved it has to only in there uh but honestly we've just approved what uh the board just approved one and and and I think well I don't think I know I heard two of the board members who that said they read it that this was what's going to do what we want to do and that is that we're not going to arm teachers so we've already accomplished this and so that was the reason why I think it may you if you could withdraw it or because I don't
086think we're going to pass it I appreciate that um I'm would like to hear from any other board members that might share that sentiment Miss Owen thank you madam chair I don't necessarily share or not share that sentiment sentiment my purpose in bringing this was only to um find some common ground between the two that were out there I don't think there's anything in here that says we oppose um oppose the law or oppose um anything that brought the law it's just meant to make it very clear and as um as static and unemotional as language can be thank you Mr Watson thank you madam chair uh Miss bike I do appreciate the work that you've done on it and Miss ow for helping to kind of bring some consistency between the two of them
087um I'm not going to be voting on it not because I don't appreciate the work and not because I don't think it's clear uh but because I think it would be an exercise in futility I think we I mean we've already done one vote with adding one word only um and I to me that would be more that vote for me would be more of a political statement and that's not the statement I'm trying to make tonight um I'm just I I think we do need a message um that's out there we voted on one it wasn't my preference but I voted yes um so I understand that and I appreciate those opinions [Music] um then I hope uh I will move to remove this from the agenda only in hopes that the community can
088feel comforted that we are all on the same page by the other resolution that did pass no it doesn't sound like they are but I am I'm going to apologize you agree so we're withdrawing the okay so item we're just reming our so item 11f has been withdrawn from the agenda correct the motion which it fails yeah yeah so now the okay that's it okay we will move on to our other public forum speakers see Michelle Mian hi Michelle hi so you brought your kiddos tonight yes my husband's coaching sophomore so I get it my name is Michelle Mian I'm an ox County resident I'm here representing many families in expressing our deep concerns that casus might spend over $400,000 on something completely unnecessary on page B10 of the budget for special education under other
089expenses there's a note that request 420,000 for additional training from the fund B balance this is apparently for a massive audit of the special education system not what one might understand as it is line item description in service staff development schools two months ago parents came to you to ask where was the RFP tied to Jason Meyer's January 8th presentation that included specific references to the least restrictive environment and modified content based on task force recommendation number two essentially to bring in an inclusion expert and support teachers in best inclusive practices then what appeared a month later was an RFP completely unconnected to what we as a public and we imagine you as a school board members were led to believe as fulfilling Jason Meyers monthlong detailed assurances KCs in every Tennessee school district already
090gets a deep dive special education audit each year from the state the results are posted on the tdo website and are quite clear so we get this information every year and it's no coincidence that the areas we consistently fall short are on the issues over which we Face lawsuits like LR and child fine I can tell you that is one of the probably 10 families who have a student on Alternate assessment being educated for over 80% of their day in the general education environment the continually missed Target for LR in K through 12 doesn't come anywhere close to representing the true scope of our District's problem I say this because in the past nine months what I have witnessed is unnecessary segregation being challenged in I AP meetings and flipped from as much as 5.5
091hours per day in a CDC room to full-time Genet with appropriate supports and services and guess what success all around even with time to provide modified content being the biggest support need for teachers in each case so this is where the task force focuses recommendations on the need for best inclusive practices did you know that Justin Gilbert the attorney who won the mq landmark case against Knox County was asked to speak to the task force last year he volunteered his time over zoom and basically told the task force how to put him out of a job here in no County Schools this is probably why the task force was so clear in its recommendations we know our District's deficits and just like in I APS after our kids deficits are identified we need to get
092to work making meaningful progress spending hundreds of thousands of doll of taxpayer dollars on an audit does not align with the resolution passed in September to take away what parents have been told to expect and substitute it with something else is not only a financial mistake but a huge betrayal of trust um I do have a couple copies um written by professional who partner with school districts in implementing best inclusive practices and I wanted to give those to a couple Betsy's my [Applause] representative thank you Michelle see Christie I'm so sorry Christie I cannot read your last name yes come on up yeah my name is Christy teft and I'm a me um I belong I live in the county County and I'm a teacher that has been teaching since I was 21 so it's
093been a long time and I'm still teaching not in the public school though and um we moved here in 2012 and one of the first places we visited was Kate's Cove we really hoped to see a black bear we saw a crowd stopped on the side of the road and they pointed to a place where one had just been sided I ran to the spot and there was a bear but it was a baby bear rambling around in the grass not far far from where I was standing I was hoping to get a good picture of it but I stopped and thought where's the mother and then I looked and I saw her coming and so I took off running and um I knew I didn't want to become come between a bear a baby
094bear and its mother now not only Bears will risk their lives to protect their young but also most animals especially Birds it's in their Instinct now this is true for children most of the time children don't know what is safe and what is dangerous in their innocence they trust that their parents will protect them from all harm it's the responsibility of the parents to protect their children the parents will sometimes let another Authority like family a school or church share in the responsibility if they don't do a good job of protecting the children the parents should remove their child from the care letting the children see pornography and hear about things they can't really understand like transgenderism bisexual nonsexual and on and on it is a burden and too heavy for a child these things
095will only trouble their little hearts and make them worry as children they can not really understand it all we need to protect them from such things here's a quote from Corey tboon who in World War II helped rescue Jews from going to the concentration camps and she wrote a book called The Hiding Place she remembers a lesson her father taught her when she was small she asked a question and the answer was beyond her understanding as a child her father then asked her if she could carry a heavy if she would carry the he heavy suitcase as they were getting on the train Cory replied that the suitcas was suitcase was too heavy for her but not too heavy for her father in response her father said that God knew when burdens were too heavy
096for her to bear and that God had provided her parents to carry them for her later God would carry many burdens in that concentration camp and carry them for help her carry them whatever it takes to protect our children from harm it is good and it it's our responsibility thank you thank you see next Sherry Garrett Sherry hello my name is Sher and I live in Knox County and no we did not coordinate our speeches I'm start off Cory tbom was a Dutch watchmaker and later a Christian writer and public speaker who worked with her father Casper tbom her sister Betsy and F other family members who to help many Jewish people escape from the Nazis during the Holocaust in World War II by hiding them in her home in her book The Hiding Place
097Corey described a conversation with her fathers they were coming home on a train and she heard a phrase in a poem at school that she did not understand and was troubling her so seated next to father in the train compartment I suddenly asked father what is sex sin he turned to look at me as he always did when answering a question but to my surprise he said Nothing At Last he stood up lifting his traveling case from the rack over our heads and set it on the floor will you carry it off the train Cory he said I stood up and tugged at it it was crammed with the watches and spare parts he had purchased that morning it's too heavy I said yes he said and it would be a pretty poor father who
098would ask his little daughter to carry such a load it's the same way Cory with knowledge some knowledge is too heavy for children when you are older and stronger you can bear it for now you must trust me to carry it for you and I was satisfied more than satisfied wonderfully at peace there were answers to this in all my hard questions for now I was content to leave them in my father's keeping this memory from early in her life was one that she kept with her in the face of witnessing and experiencing Horrors Beyond imagination during her time concentration camp after seeing something torturous she had these thoughts it was Father's train case once again such cruelty was too much to grasp too much to bear Heavenly Father carry it for me we're all
099experiencing suffering pain and Trauma in life often the weight of the world can feel too heavy a burden to carry as life unfolds around us and brings loss and suffering we can become lost in a sea of why questions we feel alone abandoned confused and lost in these moments of despair we need to trust what is true of our heavenly father over our feelings he never leaves us or forsakes US he has unending love for us he is Sovereign over all our suffering and joy he will always carry what is too heavy for us how much knowledge are we asking our children to carry we're asking our children to carry burden of knowledge that is too heavy for them to carry well it is ultimately a parental responsibility to make their sure their children are
100not carrying too heavy a burden Nan schools must make sure it's not adding to this fortunately some of our state legislators realized this and have during the session passed an amendment to HB 863 which most of you already have was given tonight for the purposes of this section and material that is in holer park contains nudity descriptions or depictions of sexual excitement conduct excess violence or sasic abuse is not appropriate for the age or maturity level of a student in any of the grades kindergarten through 12 and must not be maintained in not County schools in a school libraries collection or is patently offensive these Amendments have been confirmed by Casey wasburn the legislative attorney for the Tennessee general assembly and will be forwarded to this board as you guys have already received tonight thank
101you thanks Sherry Lauren hey Lauren just state your name County of Resident you have three minutes sure thank you uh good afternoon to my Knox County school board members my name is Lauren bresin and I am a West Coast political Refugee my family moved to Knoxville last last fall and we have been spending these past few months scouting out Protestant churches and political action organizations today I would like to use my three minutes to introduce myself and share why I will be closely following this school board's policies and procedures personally I am a wife to a Navy veteran so the encouragement of patrio patriotism in our government schools is very important to me we have four children ages 17 down to 10 I have homeschooled them with a classical education for the past 12 years
102parental rights religious freedom medical freedom and the freedom to educate without State involvement are top priorities for our family I am not a fan of school choice that comes with more government government funding or oversight professionally I've been in higher education for over 25 years I have taught priv courses for private and state universities and community colleges my experiences in those settings led me to the realization that the government school system has been failing children for decades I found that most students were ill prepared for the academic RI rigors of higher education hence I have home educated all of our children and I am not actively encouraging any of them to enter a state college system politically I have joined KNX for Liberty which promotes the values of faith family and freedom through my participation
103I actively follow local voting records and policy issues I also work for moms for America which is a national movement of moms reclaiming our culture for truth family freedom and the Constitution I am the executive assistant for the national school boards Leadership Council which helps school boards achieve their goals by focusing on elevating academics and leaving developing worldviews to parents finally I am a new member of moms for Liberty and I plan on attending and speaking at Schoolboard meetings when my schedule allows my last point to share is that one of my former home States is Oregon we lived there for almost a decade the Oregon Department of Education has enthusiastically embraced critical race Theory diversity equity and inclusion and comprehensive sexed including supporting gender expansive curriculum last last year they dropped all graduation requirements
104and no longer require basic Reading Writing or MTH skills what began as an attempt to be more inclusive and Equitable has now resulted in adding even more hardship for students who will be completely unprepared for their next chapter as adults and US citizens I hope you see the connection and will make every effort to stay focused on academics leave the sex discussions the political activism and the medical decisions to parent parents who are the true Experts of their own children thanks for your time and attention and thank you for your service to our community thank you Lauren thank you for your husband's service to our country thank you Sherry super Murphy want to speak under public confence as well okay oh he I'm sorry I went he SP his time gotcha okay okay well doing
105all righty Sherry super Knox County I've been on Facebook this week the social media mental institution and some of the things that I that they say about this board and my group and people like me when you when they don't think you're looking let me just share a couple things we've been called Evangelical trumpers crypto naazi terrorists cultists murderers and sociopaths all in the last few days one post said I was challenged to read gender queer by a loc by the local leaders in the crypto naazi movement I've gotten insight into what's wrong with these moms for Liberty people who'd have thought who' have thought we'd be have to who' have thought we'd have to stand up to Nazis in 2024 in Knoxville it would take a pretty sick twisted individual to read this book
106what an this book what the Nazi woman claims was in here I don't know what that even means these people are trying to ban our books and turn our schools into shooting galleries well Facebook suspended me for 22 hours for posting something from gender Queer on Facebook the same book that he thinks is perfectly fine see guys all of this this is what's in the schools then he goes on to to have a little something to say about Betsy Betsy Anderson has has supported more ways for the school board to assassinate children than any other school board member she blatantly stated on the record that she is in favor of infecting children with deadly diseases and now just shooting them outright the woman is a terrorist Who belongs in jail and now she wants teachers
107to shoot up our schools it's like a scene from one FLW Over the Cuckoo's Nest Guys these people don't like us they're not afraid to say it to my Republican friends to my conservative friends stand up for yourselves have courage tell them no you know they talked we've talked about this for seven months with with these books and what we got was a lousy you know we've been coming here we got a lousy Review Committee but when these people come in and they start screaming and yelling you know we we're intimidated you're all concerned about the school teachers with guns but you're not concerned about the fact that there's 87 books 21 volumes from assassination classroom where kids are being shown how to shoot up a school but you won't get the books out because
108we need a committee thank goodness that the Tennessee legislature has put something into place that will get some of this garbage out but you didn't need a law you needed some courage right and we're going to make some changes and I appreciate everything that you guys do thank [Music] you thank you Sean Murphy let's Sean hi Shawn Murphy Knox County um can I just before we start can I just ask a a two point of order okay first question um my understanding of the law is we're allowed to talk on an item on the agenda as well as talk under public comment I assume I have that correct because you're letting me speak well I think I I'm sorry it stepped out for a second but I I believe you did take up the three
109minutes on the the other item so I think we'd have to vote to allow you to have another three minutes is that okay I I don't I my understanding is that and this is where I'm asking for clarification that the law is individuals are allowed to speak on any item on the agenda and that's separate from public comment so I'll I'll stop talking because you said you had to follow you're asking Mr dler it's not a law it's board policy and board policy states that you know you can you can sign up to speak for three minutes tonight because it's a voting meeting you can sign up for any topic whatsoever but you can sign up for three minutes period like all together is that the law it's a board policy I understand that I
110asked if that's the law though the law my understanding of the law is different than what your stating policy is I'm not I'm not going to answer any more questions I since you're not recognizing me I'll stop talking if you want to allow me to talk I would appreciate [Applause] it yeah well we'll vote we'll have to vote so I make a motion to let Mr Murphy speak for three more minutes there a second sorry and I think Ellen I believe Ellen went before but I just wanted to check that it not miss you again did go okay all right well we have no more public forum speakers so with that we are adjourned e