Good Afternoon,

On December 2nd, members of Stop Stage 1 addressed the Sumner County School Board. We presented additional evidence supporting our position and requested the Board expand a previously discussed amendment. The amendment discusses on November 27th was to "grandfather" Current 8th grade through 11th grade students, which would allow them to remain at Station camp High School for two years. In our request we asked the Board to consider including all K-12 students in the amendment.

Upon completion of our comments, the Board swiftly moved to a vote on the amendment without discussion. As passed, the amendment states that only current SCH students will be grandfathered. This means the Board moved in the opposite direction we had requested, leaving current 8th graders included in the rezoning.

Our frustration with the Board's lack of discussion and subsequent decision was made clear when members of the press requested statements from attending SS1 members. Jason Lamb of News Channel 5 and CB Cotton of News Channel 2 both updated their stories which track our progress. The interpretation by both members of SS1 and the press was that the Board had made their decision before they had taken their seats.

Adding insult to injury, comments made during the closing of the meeting seemed to indicate that at least one member of the Board was unmoved by any of the testimony provided by our members. It was stated that the beginning of the meeting, where numerous students were recognized for various achievements, was "what it's really all about". These comments have been interpreted by those of us who attended to indicate that some members of the board are willing to accept praise, but not responsibility.

We have made several attempts to communicate with the Board since Tuesday's meeting. At the time of this writing, we have only received responses from Ms. Andrews and Mr. Daniels. In their responses, they claim to be reviewing data and will be discussing the matter further at the January 8th Study Session.

It is absolutely essential to our cause that we continue to attend as many School Board and Community meetings as possible. Please check the Information Resources page at StopStage1.org for dates

Happy Holidays!