Dozens of parents, alumni and community members addressed the Knox County Board of Education during public forum on June 5 to express anger and grief over the district’s handling of alleged sexual misconduct by West High School staff members and to call for reinstatement of head football coach Lamar Brown.
Speakers described coaching staff and program leadership as central to West’s turnaround and credited coach Brown with raising graduation rates and student engagement; they also said the district failed to communicate with parents and students and that the board’s handling of the matter has left the West community feeling “disrespected, unheard and unseen.”
Multiple speakers asked the board to rescind the reassignment of Lamar Brown and to publicly account for the district’s timeline and decisions. “This is not about them,” said Ted Anselitt, referring to other staff under investigation; “this is about the man who has earned our respect and trust countless times.” Several speakers urged the board to meet the public before making final decisions and to suspend Superintendent Reiswick pending a full, independent review; those calls were framed as requests for transparency and accountability rather than as closed factual claims about investigatory findings.
Speakers relayed a mix of opinion and first‑hand experience: parents and former players described Brown as a mentor who improved school culture and student outcomes; several current students and recent graduates described the coach as a central leader whose removal has left players demoralized. “He’s not just a coach — you’re taking a man that takes kids and molds them into men of society,” said Brock Hatcher, a West alumnus.
Other speakers raised procedural and disclosure concerns. Candace Bannister and others criticized the district for not initiating what they regarded as adequate internal review or for failing to communicate with West families; Clayton Bollig and multiple public commenters said they felt the district’s communication about arrests and investigatory steps was inadequate. Several speakers alleged that two West staff members had been arrested; those statements were made by public commenters and are reported here as their assertions.
No board action to reinstate or remove employees was taken during the meeting. The public forum consisted of individual statements; board members did not announce any change to personnel decisions during the session. The speakers asked for more direct engagement between district leadership and West families and for a transparent investigatory process.
Board members and central‑office staff did not announce new steps or revise personnel decisions in open session; members of the public indicated they expect further meetings and information from the district.