A spontaneous discussion about exceptional education staffing dominated Thursday night’s meeting of the Hamilton County School Board.
Board member Felice Hadden and a veteran Westview Elementary School teacher both spoke of student violence affecting teachers dramatically, with requests that the problems be addressed this school year.
Ultimately, Superintendent Dr. Justin Robertson asked Ms. Hadden to help form a new advisory group to study the effectiveness of the current staffing model, and to search school facilities for space that may better serve some older exceptional education students.
“It ties to staffing. It ties to budge season,” Dr. Robertson said. “We’ve already started this… but there’s still a lot of work to be done.”
Marlene Wolfe, who has taught in Hamilton County for 27 years, specifically asked the board to add another exceptional education staff position at Westview. She said understaffing has caused frustrated students to lash out with violence, causing teachers to quit and making the problem worse.
“Students are angry,” Ms. Wolfe said. “I’m weary and I’m exhausted.”
“We simply do not have enough support staff,” she said. Ms. Wolfe is the only full-time interventionist for 43 students. Board member Jodi Schaffer added that a support position provided by the PTO had maxed out its hours in November.
Ms. Schaffer asked Deputy Superintendent Dr. Sonia Stewart to step in at Westview to navigate the staffing model and fill the vacancies now.
“We have a problem at Westview with not servicing these students this semester,” Ms. Schaffer said. “How can we fix it this semester?”
Ms. Wolfe said she was removed from a leadership team at work after speaking out on the topic at a December community meeting held at Westview.
Ms. Hadden said exceptional education teachers and staff at middle and high schools are in “dangerous and difficult situations” which have led to “quite a few injury reports,” she said.
“I think it’s something that needs to be dealt with pretty quickly,” Ms. Hadden said. “Someone else could get injured more severely.”
“We need a location, different placement, for students who have some of these disabilities, and, where they can be, themselves, better served in an environment tailored to their specific situations, and to relieve the stress of some of the teachers and staff who feel like they are unable to contain students who are much bigger and stronger,” Ms. Hadden said.
“I know it’s a lot to ask,” she said. “I’m very passionate, you know, having been a special education teacher for years in our system.”
It was stated that a student’s IEP team must change the child’s placement, or that child will remain in place through the end of the school year.
North River Elementary School Architect
The board voted to approve Franklin Architects to design the new elementary school at the Dupont Elementary site at Hixson Pike and Access Road.
Franklin is the recommendation of Superintendent Dr. Justin Robertson and county Mayor Weston Wamp.
Orchard Knob Elementary School HVAC
A report on the viability of the Orchard Knob Middle School building is expected in four to six weeks, after which the board may decide to move forward with a proposed $6 million new heating and air conditioning system.
Charter Schools
Hamilton County has received two letters of intent to found charter schools. Feb. 1 is the official application deadline.
Little Kings & Queens Charter Academy is a K-1 school in East Ridge set to open in fall 2025. It will have 25 students.
Tennessee Wildflower Public Charter School, sponsored by the Tennessee Wildflower Foundation, is a Montessori-style pre-K through fourth grade school set to open in 2026. The location has not been finalized, but the 108-student school may choose a site near the Woodmore neighborhood in Brainerd or near The Bend development at the new Lookouts baseball stadium.