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Board schedules Feb. 11 work session after residents, staff urge keeping Jackson Community School at current site
Summary
Jackson County School Board set a Feb. 11 work session to gather community, staff and student input about Jackson Community School after multiple teachers, alumni and community members urged keeping the alternative school at its current campus and described the supports students receive there.
The Jackson County Board of Education set a work session for Tuesday, Feb. 11 to gather additional public, student and staff input on the future of Jackson Community School (JCS), board members said during the January meeting.
The board announced the session will begin at 1:30 p.m. to allow students and staff who are on campus to speak, recess and then reconvene for an evening session beginning at 5:30 p.m.; speakers will be allowed to sign up in the afternoon or between 5:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. for evening remarks. Board staff said speakers at the work session will be limited to three minutes each.
Why it matters: JCS serves a small, at-risk student population with intensive supports, and current enrollment has hovered around 49–50 students, district leaders said. Community members and staff told the board that moving the program to a general high-school campus could strip students of wraparound services they said are critical to keeping at-risk students engaged and graduating.
Teachers and alumni who spoke during the public comment period described JCS as a therapeutic, wraparound alternative that provides practical supports — a laundry service, access to showers and one-on-one student support — in addition to instruction.
"JCS offers students a set of pliers when they come in late and need nurturing," said Melissa Hannah Rodriguez, who identified herself as a history teacher at Jackson Community School. "Our students need the security and skills that are offered at JCS due to their trauma and current social stumbling blocks."
Jordan Mills, a secondary English teacher at JCS, described her personal experience as a student who benefited from an alternative setting and told the board, "I lied to you. I'm Alex," revealing that the narrative she narrated about a student was her own story. Mills said the alternative setting allowed her to graduate and later become a teacher.
Several other speakers repeated that theme. "This school is for children that are lost, children that need to feel loved," said Ambria Cochran, who identified herself as an alumnus of JCS. Community member David Chapman said students come to JCS to avoid being ostracized and to find reliable adults and structure.
Board and staff comments: Superintendent Dr. Ayers (identified in the meeting as the district superintendent) reviewed enrollment trends and three options previously discussed by the board: keep JCS at its current site and format, relocate JCS to part of the Smoky Mountain High campus and repurpose the current site, or keep the site but revitalize programming into a different alternative-school model. Dr. Ayers told the board Infinite Campus showed about 50 students enrolled as of the most recent principal's monthly report.
Board members and staff said the purpose of the Feb. 11 work session is to ensure a two-way conversation and to allow students who may not have transportation to speak during the daytime portion. Vice Chair Abigail Clayton specifically requested the daytime slot so students on campus could provide input.
Decisions and next steps: The board set the Feb. 11 work session to begin at 1:30 p.m., break in the midafternoon, and reconvene at 5:30 p.m. for additional community comment. Staff will advertise sign-up rules; the board agreed to a three-minute speaker limit and to allow sign-ups through 6:30 p.m. for the evening session.
What the district recorded: Board materials presented in the meeting referenced multi-year enrollment trends (10 years ago enrollment at JCS was about 102; most recent year-end figure was 58, and current real-time reporting shows roughly 49–50 students). The board also noted that middle-school students at JCS are assigned rather than choosing the placement, and some high-school students choose or are placed there via administrative placement or IEP teams.
No final decision was reached about location or program change at this meeting; the board framed the Feb. 11 session as the next step for information gathering and community input.
Ending: The board asked the public to submit requests for information by email to the full board and to attend the Feb. 11 work session if they wish to offer oral comment. The board will use the work session to compile additional financial data and enrollment trends for further deliberation.
