My name is Sadie Vaughn, and I am a psychology student at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. I plan to enter the dual program in School Counseling and Mental Health Counseling next fall, which is one of the reasons I am so invested in the decision on Centerstone.
I will be at the board meeting to speak, but because time is limited, I hope you will take a few minutes to read my full story.
On Aug. 21, 2021, my hometown was hit by a devastating flood. The night before, I was celebrating with friends after winning our first football game of my junior year. None of us knew that by morning, our lives would be forever changed.
By 8 a.m., water was already rising around my home. By 8:10, it was at the tires of my car. By 8:23, my car was floating in the backyard. For three terrifying hours, my parents, my dog, and I clung to our house as power lines crashed into the water and the screams of our neighbors filled the air. Our dog, Jericho, is the reason we are alive - he managed to find footing and pull us to a spot where the current was weaker.
But survival came at a cost. Twenty-one of our neighbors died, including my childhood friend who lived just a few houses down. She and I grew up together, playing until the streetlights came on. Her funeral was closed casket because of how badly she was hurt. Hundreds of families lost their homes overnight. My family’s home was destroyed, and it took nearly two years before we could return.
We missed two months of school. I tried to keep up with online classes without a home, without Wi-Fi, and without stability. My grades fell. My mental health collapsed. And at my school, there was only one counselor for nearly 500 students. Children like me were left to struggle in silence.
That experience is one of the reasons I chose to major in psychology. I know what it feels like to be a student facing trauma without enough support. Counselors don’t just help kids manage emotions - they help them survive, they connect families to resources, and they give students hope when everything else has been ripped away.
That is why I was devastated when, on August 29th, this board voted 6–5 to end the district’s agreement with Centerstone. That single decision removed 32 licensed professionals from our schools - professionals who served more than 2,500 students and families last year.
These aren’t just numbers. Tennessee ranks 50th in the nation for youth access to mental health care. Suicide is the third leading cause of death for children ages 10–17. Families in Hamilton County are already struggling to find providers who accept TennCare. For many students, Centerstone wasn’t a luxury. It was their lifeline.
A grandmother recently told me her grandson was abruptly cut off from Centerstone services. She’s been unable to find another provider for him. For her family, the board’s decision didn’t just change policy - it changed a child’s future.
We don’t need promises of a future program. We need immediate action. Centerstone is already in place. It’s already working. Until an equal or stronger program is ready, we cannot afford to leave our children without support.
Thank you for reading my story, and thank you for the work you do for our students.
Sadie Vaughn