The Franklin County School Board met for a regular session on May 10, with two requests to appear before the board, and discusstion on a literacy implementation network, a possible virtual learning academy, and the budget.

Marcus Allgood requested to address the board concerning the desegregation status of the Franklin County School system. One of the plaintiffs in the 1963 lawsuit, Emma Hill, is Allgood’s grandmother.

In 1963, eight Franklin County families joined a lawsuit to compel the Franklin County school system to provide a “unified, nonracial educational system” (see <https://www.usccr.gov/pubs/doc...;). In 1964, the court issued an order to desegregate the schools. Objections to the order were filed by the school district. In 1966 the plaintiffs made a motion to reinstate the case on the active docket. Since 1970 there has been no action on the case. The case has not been dismissed, and the district has not been formally declared to have “unitary status” or released from court order.

Allgood asked the board if they planned on seeking unitary status or to dismiss this case. Director of Schools Stanley Bean asked Allgood to discuss this with him so he (Bean) could go speak with attorney Ben Lynch. Lynch was an attorney on the 1963 lawsuit Bean said.

Tanya Otero asked the board to reconsider the dress code as it is “subjective, discriminatory, and punitive.” The 6.310 Dress Code - Middle School and High School was issued in 2016 and is to be reviewed annually in April. Otero said the dress code “was difficult for a couple of reasons” including cost and the disruption to the school day when teachers were only “focused on appearance.” She asked her written letter to the board be considered as a petition to revise the dress code.

Kim Tucker and Leah Harrell with Elementary Curriculum and Instruction presented information on the Literacy Implementation Network. This program will provide the necessary consistency across the district for training, curriculum implementation and support for the teachers. This is based on new $100 million statewide initiative, Reading 360°, that will ensure Tennessee districts, teachers, and families are equipped with tools and resources to help students read on grade level by third grade.

The Literacy Plan includes participation in early literacy training series, the Pre-K-12 literacy implementation network, and a plan for foundational literacy instruction following state guidelines. Tucker pointed out that in an Exact Path diagnostic assessment given in December, 58 percent of the students were below grade level in reading. ACT scores showed only 29.9 percent of Franklin County students are college ready in reading, and only 50.6 percent in English.

The board also discussed a possible virtual learning academy for Franklin County. Bean said it was planned that everyone would go back to the classroom for the next school year, without a virtual learning option. Other area school systems will be offering both in-person and virtual learning options. Right now, there are approximately 600 virtual learners in Franklin County, Tucker said.

“That leaves us in the middle of these counties without a virtual option. A student in Franklin County could enroll in these other county virtual programs and we would lose BEP (Basic Education Program) funding. Or, some would choose to homeschool,” Bean said. The Franklin County school system receives approximately $8,000 per student from the BEP funding Bean said.

Tucker is working on a program for virtual school for middle and high school students. She said learning would come from a program and would not be synchronous with in-person learning. The program would cost $68,000, plus a stipend for teachers who agreed to help teach students with this program. There would be an application process to go through to sign up for the virtual option. Enrollment in this program would be limited Tucker said.

The board recessed the meeting for a continuation discussion on the 2021-22 school year budget, scheduled for 6 p.m., Monday, May 24. Bean said the board would have to approve the budget and send it to the Finance Committee meeting, scheduled for Tuesday, June 1. The budget then goes to the Franklin County Commission on Monday, June 21.

The board is scheduled to meet in regular session at 6 p.m., Monday, June 14.

—reported by Kiki Beavers