Good Afternoon,
On Tuesday, November 27th members of Stop Stage 1, alongside other citizens, addressed the Sumner County Board of Education. I am proud to say that our message was unanimously respectful, coordinated, and concise. We spoke on several key issues, such as who we are and why we are concerned. The meeting was covered by news channels WSMV(4) and WKRN(2), and the full video on public record is linked at the bottom of this message.
After the meeting, several parents remained to speak with members of the Board to ask questions. Various representatives of Stop Stage 1 spoke with District 6 Representative Jim Hawkins, District 4 Representative Sarah Andrews, District 7 Representative Andy Daniels, and Supervisor of Board and Community Relations Jeremy Johnson. While the details of these conversations are diverse and ranging, the summary is that the Board has not yet been moved by our plea. According to several Board members some options, such as portable classrooms, will not be considered. The practical information we can extrapolate from this series of communication, is that the likelihood of stopping Stage 1 is implausible. However, SS1 is committed to continuing our negotiations with the Board.
At our SS1 community meeting on Sunday, December 2nd, our group discussed and debated our options for moving forward. Effectively we agreed that although we would like to keep all options open, we will not be pursuing any formal structure at this time. As such, we have closed the discussion on bringing litigation against the Board. We will continue to monitor the situation, but will only revisit this topic in the event a reasonable cause for litigation is found. This decision was based primarily on research that indicates the Sumner County School Board has complete authority over these matters.
SS1 will also be splitting it’s focus into two primary categories. The first will be to continue to pursue alternative solutions to the current Stage 1 proposal. David has been working hard to gather hard data and process it into useful information. We hope that in time, and through his working relationship with Sumner County Schools, he may be able to present us with viable options. The second, will be to establish a list of requests to the Board which may ease the stress of transition upon our students should Stage 1 pass as proposed. It was mentioned at the meeting on November 27th, that several principals in both Beech and Station Camp have already been in contact and in discussion on this matter. While we consider this “Plan B”, it is refreshing to know that at least some consideration has been given to our students.
Our goals for the upcoming regular Board meeting on December 11th are twofold. First, we will ask that the amendment to grandfather Station Camp High School students also include all children in any family, in any grade, that has or will have an individual education plan (IEP) for at least one student. Although we expect that this will add only a small number of students to the list of those allowed to remain, the burden these families will face may be significantly higher than those families without special educational needs. Second, we will ask the Board to host a scrum meeting. This will provide us with the opportunity to ask and receive candid questions and answers from the Board in an attempt to determine the feasibility of our potential proposals.
In closing, we ask that all members of SS1 continue to show your support by communicating with your friends and neighbors. Although we have created a vast network in a short time, there are still those who have yet to learn about the proposed plan. As always, we invite anyone who is interested in the future of our students to join us each Sunday at the Carellton clubhouse for our SS1 community meeting.
Click here to view the Sumner County School Board Meeting on 27 November, 2018