Community members call on school board to reverse Blue Ridge principal reassignment

Dozens of Blue Ridge School parents, staff and students used the public comment period of the Jackson County Board of Education’s May meeting to urge trustees to reverse a recent decision that reassigns Blue Ridge principal Carrie Cowan to an assistant principal position at Smoky Mountain High School.

Speakers said the reassignment has left the small Blue Ridge campus understaffed and worried parents that routine supports for students — particularly those with special needs — will be interrupted. “We have been building community, building school pride, retaining staff, growing our kids, and literally in the blink of an eye this has been taken from us,” said Erica Smith Teal, who identified herself as the social worker at Blue Ridge School.

Community members told the board they view Cowan as a stabilizing presence. “She has fostered a culture of respect,…