Students and parents press board for more hands-on learning, mental-health supports and library protections

During the public-comment portion of the Williamson County School Board meeting, nine speakers highlighted recurring themes: students asked for more mental-health resources and more hands-on, project-based learning; parents urged reduced screen time and stronger library protections; and disability advocates pressed the district to create formal incident reporting when students go missing during the school day.

Shanara Williamson, identifying herself as a longtime resident and parent, relayed testimony she heard at a student forum and told the board that students asked for more mental-health resources and group counseling in high schools. She described reports of uneven discipline tied to race and said adults must "remain vigilant when it comes to, equitable disciplinary actions." "Please don't allow these fear based slogans, things like being anti woke to give us room for unequal disciplinary actions," Williamson said.

Business owner and parent Theophilus Boyd summarized student concerns gathered at a community conference and said students wanted clearer channels to seek teacher accountability without adverse consequences and more exposure to vocational and nontraditional pathways after high school.

Several speakers focused on classroom practice. Kimberly Calcote said her four children attended district schools and told the board many science classes have moved to highly technology-dependent curricula; she urged a return to "hands-on" experiments and cited examples such as dissections, bridge-building and egg-drop projects. "Please consider choosing a science curriculum that allows for real experiments, doesn't lock our children into more screen time use for 8 years," Calcote said.

Elementary-school librarian Michelle Kinley asked the board to reconsider proposed changes to library-material policy that would add a "mature reading list." Kinley said librarians already scaffold choices and build trust with families, and that mandatory lists could create barriers and mistrust.

Disability advocate Christie Bailey told the board that children with special needs can become lost during the school day and said the district lacks an incident-report form to identify patterns and fix problems. Bailey recounted a repeatedly lost student at Longview Elementary and urged the board to require documentation, develop protocols and conduct regular reviews.

High school students also spoke. Connor Britt, a senior at Independence High School, argued that interactive, project-based learning helped him learn more than screen-based instruction. "The more interactive and engaging our classes are, the more we will learn," he said.

Angela Frederick of the Williamson County Education Association urged board members not to delay textbook approvals and asked that teachers be included in technology discussions. Several speakers thanked the two board members who had attended the student forum.

Speakers asked the board to act on discipline equity, more counseling resources, hands-on curriculum choices, clearer library procedures and a district-level process for documenting lost students. Board members and staff acknowledged the comments and said they would follow up through the superintendent's advisory channels and staff committees.