by Leslie Lytle, Messenger Staff Writer
Visitors packed the 500-seat auditorium to near capacity at the Feb. 8 Franklin County Board of Education meeting at Franklin County High School. The meeting was moved from its normal location to accommodate the large crowd. The recently formed Gay-Straight Alliance club at FCHS has attracted national attention and locally provoked an outpouring of both support and criticism. Following publication of the agenda last week, the board agreed to an eleventh-hour agenda change, giving four community members permission to comment publicly on the GSA.
“This is a school board meeting, and no disruption will be tolerated,” insisted Kevin Caroland, board chair, after some audience members loudly recited the Lord’s Prayer during the moment of silence at the start of the meeting. Caroland then continued with the agenda, which allotted five minutes to each speaker.
Chris Ball of Belvidere began by asking “the forgiveness of God, the board, the faculty and the children of the Franklin County Schools for never giving the safety of students a thought.” “I don’t think clubs that promote a viewpoint should be here,” he said, “even Christian clubs. But the GSA started because a few students didn’t feel safe. I urge all of you to stop preaching hate and urge the school to implement the zero tolerance policy for bullies that’s already in place.”
Robert Weidlich, father of four with two students at FCHS, challenged Director of Schools Amie Lonas for saying the Supreme Court had already ruled on the legality of the club. Weidlich also challenged the authority of the 1984 Equal Access Act to withdraw federal funding from Franklin County Schools if the club was banned. “I’m not going to stand for my kids being subjected to homosexuality in public school,” Weidlich said in closing.
“The GSA is not a gay club. I’m a heterosexual,” said 14-year-old Kevin Hambrick, a FCHS freshman who joined the GSA at the first meeting on Jan. 19. Hambrick apologized to “Christians and GSA members for the misconduct they’ve received.” “The reason we have a club is to end demeaning treatment and dehumanization of the LGBT community. You can tear our signs down, you can tear the tears out of our eyes. I fought to be here. We need this club.”
Attorney Peter Trenchi of Sewanee, who works regularly with youth groups and children, spoke about the importance of peer contact and counseling for youth who lead challenged lives. “School may be their only safe place. This is where children learn appropriate interactions.” Citing the Bible, Trenchi said, “Love overcomes fear.”
The board reviewed the application and criterion for school clubs drafted by school administrators.
School board representative Adam Tucker from Sewanee suggested the provision prohibiting “conflict of interest with other clubs,” should be clarified to refer to “conflict of interest about use of facilities.”
Caroland said when clubs were allowed to meet needed to be clearly defined.
The board also discussed whether clubs should be required to take minutes.
School administrators will be advised of the board’s recommendations, but approving clubs and setting criterion for their establishment will remain the prerogative of the schools.
“School principals approve clubs,” Caroland stressed, citing board policy. “The school board is not involved in the process.”
“I’m pleased the club will continue,” said GSA faculty advisor Jennie Turrell, who lives in Sewanee and teaches art at FCHS. “There were concerns,” Turrell said. “Look at all the people here. Now we can begin the good work.”
In her director’s report, Lonas said Governor Haslam has recommended increased educational funding for teachers’ salaries ($100 million), health insurance ($30 million) and technology ($15–$30 million).
Discussing testing, Lonas said she had just learned earlier that day the state online testing system had experienced technical failures, and all testing would be done by pencil and paper.
Lonas said the state recently offered schools the option of using a paper-and-pencil testing format instead of an online format, and the Franklin County school principals chose to stay with the online system.
“Teachers have worked very hard to prepare students,” Lonas said. “They’ve been doing all their practice online.”
The board approved several personnel-related policy revisions. Most involved rewording for clarification purposes. There were three substantive changes.
The 30-hour orientation program requirement for new teachers was dropped. “The requirement was excessive,” Lonas said. “We’d prefer teachers spend their time in the classroom.”
The revised substitute worker policy provides for hiring substitutes when non-teaching staff are needed for enrichment and remediation practices. The revised substitute teacher policy clarified reemployment and termination procedures for substitute teachers.
The school board will meet for a working session on March 7. The next board meeting is scheduled for March 14 at South Middle School.
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