[{"_1":2,"_112":-5,"_113":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88,100],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6200824,"mediaKeyId","3805622-6c61a59b91a901b0dc92c0bfff480e80","parentId",3805622,"title","Board members press staff on insurance treatment for suspended certified employees","audioSeconds",443,"startMs",6121000,"endMs",6564000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3805622-6c61a59b91a901b0dc92c0bfff480e80&start=6121&end=6564","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3805622-6c61a59b91a901b0dc92c0bfff480e80/thumbnail_6121000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6200824/Tennessee/Board-members-press-staff-on-insurance-treatment-for-suspended-certified-employees","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6200824-467c7fbc09754df2332f717f8f7c150b/orig.mp4?Expires=1775209811&Signature=WoVAu~E63OAvrEYpA6QXeXm3sPOKKgU85Du2wbT1ew7FmHGxI2wxLRS4yIkhDYcj8THRJdFTMcACGUb96y3DS~ot-LP4Ea9WK4jkUvAfOLflBJHknN2adMTEvwPOnIT7hY-wftc5mhU1Ha8hx~8kRPvFg4CfTqxTElqV-opN0nEAl6Zw65lwbEaiLsQvvfM3jmAhnafzesfPUehTtm7HW0yzW6ZbFa1dJIO~bkBb-B4fZvWTYyNt~Vr5b4QfQ9mOi9~xwjKAiBEvTjKHsovAmBgiJUHMLEuCJOoSewTF041Xcqzr1PE9QHzI1uvLhmxnfuhPvY6jP-uly8zEsl5BuQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Hamilton County School","date","2025-06-13T10:31:15Z","article","Board members raised employee‑insurance concerns after a discussion of suspensions of certified staff. Several members said suspending an employee without pay for an extended investigatory period can cause that person to be dropped from employer‑provided coverage or pushed onto COBRA, which can be costly.

“I think this is where we talk about deferring to expertise,” said one board member. “We're talking about employees that are under investigation, either by law enforcement, or by the Department of Children Services.”

Legal counsel said suspension does not automatically mean an employee permanently loses benefits and that employees can move to COBRA if coverage lapses; counsel also said the board and staff should confirm the district’s insurance and contractual options. “They're not losing health insurance,” counsel said, adding that COBRA is an available but expensive option. Counsel and staff agreed to examine whether the district can offer a mechanism for employees to continue paying premiums directly to avoid COBRA costs during long suspensions, and to bring policy options back to the board.

Board members noted the differing practices among other large counties; some suspend with pay, some without, and some provide alternative work placements during investigations. The board agreed to continue the discussion during the regular meeting and to ask legal and human resources staff for options that balance child‑safety protections, employee rights and insurance continuity.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","HCS Agenda Session 6/12/2025","oneSentenceSummary","Board discussion raised concerns that suspensions without pay may force employees to COBRA, creating expensive coverage gaps; legal counsel said employees are not losing coverage and the district will review options for preserving health benefits during investigatory suspensions.","taxTitle","Hamilton County, School Districts, Tennessee","taxId",12943,"location","Tennessee","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6200827,"Parent and advocate urges improved communication and protections in Hamilton County exceptional education services",329,603000,932000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3805622-6c61a59b91a901b0dc92c0bfff480e80&start=603&end=932","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3805622-6c61a59b91a901b0dc92c0bfff480e80/thumbnail_603000.jpg","/articles/6200827/Tennessee/Parent-and-advocate-urges-improved-communication-and-protections-in-Hamilton-County-exceptional-education-services","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6200827-b14c5fadfe2612fe501c865e8b57c2bc/orig.mp4?Expires=1775209811&Signature=ev1rkx64F1o51IPatpupVbGtBNt0L-oPECUFo4VUFygehi7JxvVDSNpuwhKQIYpTBlIk6djtedkWuibUMREr7Ip5RvDjR4GPUn4GA9tT2n5TshNrkGIlbNUq3xFexzH~MkU2hnq3CTO-GR9epik81LfVMdvfHE4pSCJmZraZP4QX1olVpswpdV~VSidtOVclDvjHt846A7JsPPVKQ35y5yG5g0fRI6rRJCv4jOKrsKDAqL2yGsM9bUxXZOCfBOLXEc5TN8lFuNyhSukPchQOVAOT2YAig9AU8XMtA2V5qZThJDiLS~rRl9lw-RKCgu~sUmB9zeGb3tC6zmtnrRS8mw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Kimberly Hayes, a Hamilton County resident who identified herself in public comment as living in District 3, told the board she and other parents, teachers and advocates are concerned about inconsistent and insufficient communication from the district’s exceptional education department and about fear of retaliation for advocates.

“It’s crucial that the board of education, community members, teachers, staff, and advocates for students with disability are well informed about the decisions and processes that affect the education of these students,” Hayes said. “We are all concerned about potential retaliation against those who advocate for students with disabilities, their families, and more importantly, the students they serve.”

Hayes said a climate of fear inhibits open dialogue and that some teachers report inadequate training to provide the data and assessments requested at IEP meetings. She suggested the district restart outreach to parents of students with disabilities, convene ongoing parent meetings and consider creating a stakeholder committee of communicators, teachers and advocates to review exceptional education practices. She recommended that staff and board members review two successful lawsuits and the Project Re‑Ed model (which Hayes said combined mental‑health services and education at Dawn School) as an example to revisit.

Hayes said she raised these concerns in private conversations with some board members and was encouraged to bring them to public comment. She asked the board and administrators to “revisit these principles and successes of Project Re Ed and explore the possibility of recreating a similar [model] within our district,” and to consider training and systemic steps that would reduce reprisals and improve teachers’ ability to inform decisions.

The board did not take formal action on Hayes’s suggestions during the work session. Board members acknowledged receipt of the concerns and several said they would continue discussions with staff about outreach, training and how to respond to parent and teacher concerns in exceptional education.","A parent and district resident, Kimberly Hayes, told the board she and community stakeholders want clearer, consistent communication from the exceptional education department, stronger protections against retaliation for advocates and families, and suggested revisiting Project Re‑Ed principles and forming a stakeholder committee.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6200831,"Board hears staff defend Student Success Planning platform amid privacy and workload concerns",3442,2671000,6113000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3805622-6c61a59b91a901b0dc92c0bfff480e80&start=2671&end=6113","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3805622-6c61a59b91a901b0dc92c0bfff480e80/thumbnail_2671000.jpg","/articles/6200831/Tennessee/Board-hears-staff-defend-Student-Success-Planning-platform-amid-privacy-and-workload-concerns","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6200831-be883d61e0be6b805a228496078d3d50/orig.mp4?Expires=1775209811&Signature=b2KlgxViD6APb-QMJ5x~3fXkDmnOG86W35GpaYzHy3w0XnhRpTuVUkqGEG3toBoM43PwXFR6~DI5NNg43F0VJPPxnz5YGLj0LISSgN2jfFNW7v9jP9WRd4m6SE-4Q3vJ4rrCP4sq6RRRchlxISzehas9gYe5KlN2T1VOp8Ef6wwpnVwyef3tJwIRf3hCGoGaMqLHCjgyj0S2XBFV2duPGa3IQ2q4EXEPssnV4Hy2ro3gRqZrdrD3m6HJohfy6OyMiK6X3fvFiBQCz8DdIMxOjBHrgO7TMZhHHucuCjEe0y-cJdgvdKAqMX1sruInwRBOAL2lBptfK-A6QrvBOlaNgg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Board members and staff debated Student Success Planning — a district initiative built on a Tennessee platform intended to consolidate information about students’ academic, social, emotional and family needs — after multiple staff and board members reported the system is time consuming and raised privacy concerns.

“It’s a place to house information, right, in one common place,” said Shannon (district staff), who outlined the program’s theory of action: identify student strengths and needs, co‑create plans with families, connect students to services, and champion those plans. “I will be the first to tell you, yes, the platform is absolutely cumbersome.”

Board members and several employees said entering SSP data for every student is adding considerable workload. “The process itself is very time consuming and cumbersome,” a board member said during discussion. Several social workers and counselors in the room said they were worried about which information is stored and who can access it; one board member asked whether the district is collecting data on a child without parental consent.

Scott Bennett, the board’s legal counsel, said he believed the district’s use of SSP falls within federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) protections and noted a state change (referenced in the meeting as Public Chapter 347) that modifies parental‑consent requirements for certain school counseling and preventative services. “FERPA already protects the collection of educational data,” Bennett said; he and staff said they will confirm the district’s compliance and report back to the board.

School staff and social workers explained how SSP is intended to operate in practice: a care‑team model that can include teachers, social workers, counselors, truancy officers, community partners and families. Jackie (licensed social worker) told the board that a psychosocial assessment is part of standard social‑work practice and that a coordinated team approach can prevent children from “falling through the cracks.” Other board members said the district should consider opt‑out consent pathways, clearer parental notifications and improved integration with PowerSchool to reduce duplicate effort.

Staff said SSP development has relied on grants and local funding — meeting comments referenced involvement by a local Smart City venture fund — and that further platform development is custom work to fit Hamilton County’s needs. Staff acknowledged grant funding for development is diminishing and said the district will identify the platform’s ongoing line‑item in the software budget and report it to the board.

Direction taken in the session included an agreement by counsel and staff to recheck legal requirements for parental consent and FERPA boundaries, to provide the board with the ability to view the platform content for a sample student, and to return with specific budget and deployment details before the start of the next school year.","Hamilton County staff described Student Success Planning (SSP) as a district effort to ‘know every student,’ while board members, counselors and social workers raised concerns about time burden, data privacy and parental consent. Legal counsel signaled FERPA protections and recent state law changes will be reviewed.",{"_33":101,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":102,"_41":103,"_43":104,"_45":105,"_47":106,"_49":107,"_51":108,"_53":109,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":110,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":111,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6200835,"Hamilton County staff warn elementary schools nearly full; board urged to plan for Brainerd-area growth",1701,961000,2662000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3805622-6c61a59b91a901b0dc92c0bfff480e80&start=961&end=2662","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3805622-6c61a59b91a901b0dc92c0bfff480e80/thumbnail_961000.jpg","/articles/6200835/Tennessee/Hamilton-County-staff-warn-elementary-schools-nearly-full-board-urged-to-plan-for-Brainerd-area-growth","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6200835-5b21a56b5c52ed164c2a2d6e4f1dd25d/orig.mp4?Expires=1775209811&Signature=BGZyN8-GYe7ZwC53cHkL~7FUkSm74d6XniOZUXQf4VvpcDjDqlTsH5Wz5SJ~f0Ixjb96phktuCXGuZ9VQZZHnUZgqzstlPHUTq5E-uEkIduV4opuo41KGJXquAym1Vnuy~KVbf~0zPotF7HvcZKnoB1XLohcwHAmQQ3N3z3Pceeuo9SNHlLOuTf9C1gXIDVR9GfG63vbOJywHLNAEwknrlg48bKUfnCEpvWMTVn9w9mCdi3Qqlc0EuTMlKabOHub~ZYlJiC2kg4wYsDXLMFBdO~PLOWsfIhisC9d-BABGl0nlYBHAk9q8LKoeTxcE95ZVHFWGa0CrtRH3MGY22B3VA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","District staff told the Hamilton County Board of Education at a work session that the district’s elementary schools have very little permanent capacity left and that the board should keep growth planning on the front burner.

“Capacity is a decision, not a definition,” said Ben Coulter, the district’s director of project management. “A school's capacity is a number of students which can be accommodated given the specific educational programs, the class schedules, student‑teacher ratios, and the size of the rooms.”

The presentation, which used MGT’s capacity definitions, showed the district’s brick‑and‑mortar elementary capacity at 97.6 percent with roughly 518 empty seats available. Counselors, administrators and board members noted the district is using 98 portable buildings in places where enrollment exceeds permanent space. Coulter said the district’s middle schools average about 65.1 percent utilization and high schools about 78.7 percent.

The numbers — presented districtwide and by school — drove board discussion about several planned and possible changes. Board members and staff discussed consolidating Brainerd and Delwood elementary programs, designing a rebuilt Delwood campus with extra performance and gym space to accommodate a performing‑arts magnet formerly at Parker, and the implications for Parker’s current site. “When you build it, they’re gonna come,” said Ms. Black (board member), urging that any rebuilt site include auditorium and gym capacity so a performing‑arts magnet can function without compromise.

Superintendent Dr. Robertson summarized growth trends, noting roughly 3.1 percent overall enrollment growth over the last decade with steeper pockets of growth (about 10 percent) in District 7. He and Coulter said the district expects to be in active construction on a first phase of projects in the coming years and that the board should begin planning for a second phase now. Coulter and Robertson said the team will continue to monitor 20th‑day enrollment counts and housing permit activity.

Board members raised several options beyond new elementary construction: rezoning, exploring K–8 or 5–8 configurations, expanding magnet seats at schools such as Normal Park and CSLA/CSAS, and holding district property rather than selling it. Several members said intergovernmental coordination is necessary: county land‑use and sewer extensions will affect where growth occurs and where elementary seats will be needed.

The presentation included specific local examples: East Ridge and parts of District 8 were described as experiencing ongoing renovation and infill that is increasing enrollment pressure; Howard’s earlier jump to higher enrollment was cited as an example of rapid local change; and the Delwood/Brainerd consolidation was listed as an opportunity to add capacity beyond immediate need. Coulter noted portables explain why some schools exceed 100 percent utilization without literally cramming students into classrooms.

Next steps identified by staff included: continuing enrollment monitoring (20th‑day counts), incorporating capacity findings into the district’s facilities plan and architects’ work for the upcoming building phase, and keeping certain properties such as the Barger parcel in district ownership as a strategic reserve. Staff said they will provide additional, district‑specific scenarios (for example, estimated utilization if the Brainerd/Delwood consolidation proceeds) as architects and planners firm up designs.","District staff told the Hamilton County Board of Education that elementary schools are operating at about 97.6% brick-and‑mortar capacity, middle schools have excess space and high schools are moderately occupied, prompting discussion of consolidation, rezoning, property retention and next-phase construction planning.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Board members press staff on insurance treatment for suspended certified employees

Parent and advocate urges improved communication and protections in Hamilton County exceptional education services

Board hears staff defend Student Success Planning platform amid privacy and workload concerns

Hamilton County staff warn elementary schools nearly full; board urged to plan for Brainerd-area growth