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, encouragement and academic excellence,” said Kim Aiken, who identified herself as a parent of Blue Ridge students and noted Cowan was recently named principal of the year. Student speakers described personal support from Cowan. “She has helped me by supporting my growth and by always supporting me,” said Dessie McConnell, who identified herself as a student.

Speakers pointed to operational problems at Blue Ridge they said make leadership continuity especially important: leaking ceilings, a broken lunchroom piece of equipment that left no working lunchroom, an understaffed janitorial budget, and a playground they described as unsafe. Theresa Owen, who said she is a grandmother of a Blue Ridge student with autism and fetal alcohol spectrum disorder, told the board Cowan “knows each of her students well enough to be able to suggest new goals” and that losing that continuity will hurt students who rely on rituals and familiarity.

Several speakers asked the board to explain the rationale for the reassignment and to consider the school community’s input before finalizing personnel placements. “If you all do not have power in this district, we wouldn’t have action items that require your vote of approval,” Smith Teal told the board. Other speakers framed their remarks as appeals for transparency and investigation of the decision-making process rather than personal attacks on any board member.

Board members did not take immediate action on personnel decisions during the public comment period. Several speakers asked the board to ensure Blue Ridge will be fully staffed and supported for the coming school year. The formal personnel agenda was later approved by the board during the meeting; that approval was recorded separately in the meeting’s consent actions.

The comments came during the board’s designated public comment block; speakers were limited to three minutes each and several written submissions from Blue Ridge students were read into the record. The board’s public comment rules, read at the start of the session, state the board will listen but not engage in dialogue during that period.

The board’s superintendent and central office staff also presented other, unrelated items during the meeting, including capital projects and program approvals. Several parents suggested the board consult the Blue Ridge community directly and explain the personnel decision before moving forward.

Board members did not announce a reversal of the reassignment at the meeting. Board action on personnel matters appears on the meeting’s personnel agenda, which the board approved later in the session.