The County School Board has voted 6-5 to discontinue a longstanding contract with a student mental health provider.
In favor of keeping the MOU with Centerstone were Karitsa Jones, Jackie Thomas, Ben Connor, Felice Hadden and Jill Black.
Officials said the contract was at no cost to the county schools, and the firm was reimbursed by TennCare or other providers.
Dan Mansfield, area coordinator for Centerstone, said the agency only counseled with students after getting permission of the parents. He said, "This is not being pushed on people. It is being offered."
He said the group's counseling was mainly away from the schools, but on occasion there was some classroom observation.
Mr. Daugherty said his concern was that individuals were working with students that the board knew nothing about their background and had not gone through the school hiring process.
Ms. Shaffer said she was concerned that Centerstone is the only option for such counseling. She also said she had issues about some of the wording on the Centerstone website.
Mr. Mansfield said the group has "no agenda" to push.
Supt. Justin Robertson urged continuation of the contract, saying the schools lack the resources to deal with some students with mental health issues at a time when the students are especially vulnerable.