by Leslie Lytle, Messenger Staff Writer

“There are programs we want to implement not just for the school system, but for our citizens, lifeline coordinators and recovery,” said Franklin County Mayor Chris Guess at the Oct. 13 meeting of the Franklin County School Board, explaining his request to transfer oversight for the Franklin County Prevention Coalition from the schools to county government. The county received a broadband grant for the portion of the Townsend building owned by the county. Part of the money funded repair of the gym roof. “The rest will go for programming,” Guess said. “The Prevention Coalition program already operates out of the part of the building owned by the county.”

Guess hopes the South Shepherd Street building will become a hub for “community services.” The building will continue to house the Townsend Cultural Center and Campora Family Resources Center. Broadband expansion, education, and telehealth are among the programs the county intends to implement with the grant money. “We started looking at that along with the function of the Drug Prevention Coalition. It’s cleaner and flows better if it’s all under one entity, county government,” Guess stressed. He expressed confidence in the financial security of the grant funded Prevention Coalition program. “That money is not going away, and even if it did, there is county Opioid Abatement money that will fund most of it.” In addition to increased emphasis on adult services, plans call for “accelerating” youth drug prevention programming. “For prevention for the young people, you have to go where the young people are, coordinating with the teachers and principals to deliver your programs. We need to do a better job of that.”

The board voted unanimously to transfer oversight of the Prevention Coalition to the county.

The board also approved amending the “Emergency Preparedness Plan” policy. The plan currently calls for all schools to conduct a fire drill every 30 days. Tennessee School Board Association recommendations call for fire drills every two months. The revised policy adopts the two-month standard.

The board discussed board member Erik Cole’s proposal to establish an Athletic Committee to develop programs, retain student athletes, foster community and alumni engagement, and increase college exposure. “The committee would have no special power. All it is allowed to do is make a recommendation,” Cole said. Board member Casey Roberts pointed out the 11-member committee proposed by Cole had only one woman representative. “I see a disproportionate amount of males,” Roberts said. “I’d like to see more female representation. [Women] might have a different perspective.” The board deferred voting on the proposal until Cole conferred with other suggested committee members about their willingness to participate.