Parents, students and educators urge Hamilton County board to reinstate Centerstone school mental‑health services

Dozens of parents, students, teachers and mental‑health professionals urged the Hamilton County Board of Education at a work session to reinstate a 10‑year memorandum of understanding with Centerstone, saying the termination last month removed licensed clinicians who provided school‑based therapy to thousands of students.

The appeals came during a public‑comment period organized by topic at the board's work session. Speakers on multiple sides described the mental‑health consequences of the board's August vote to end the Centerstone MOU and pressed the board both for service continuity and clearer, more deliberate transition procedures.

Supporters of the board's August decision said outside providers can advance ideological content and that parents should retain primary authority over children's care. "Centerstone's own agreement states it will only inform parents as necessary. That is unacceptable," said Gail Green, a resident who spoke under the board's public‑comment rules. "Parents must always be fully informed about any counseling or mental‑health interventions involving their children."

Many teachers, former administrators and clinicians urged the board to reverse course. "Centerstone's counselors provided consistent daily support to students who face challenges far beyond academics," said Donovan Davis, who identified himself as a Hamilton County resident and former principal of Woodmore Elementary School. Davis described Centerstone staff as ‘‘a lifeline’’ after local crises and said removing the agreement disrupted continuity of care.

Several speakers gave numbers drawn from local budgets and the school system: one commenter said Hamilton County Schools currently spends about $22,000,000 a year to hire more than 250 student support coaches, counselors and social workers and receives "just under $1,000,000" a year in Title I and Title IV funds for 10 additional student‑support positions. Commenters also said the board's action removed 32 licensed clinicians who together served more than 2,500 students last year.

Students who testified said many peers lack the resources to access private therapy and relied on school‑based licensed clinicians. "Not next week, not next month, today — restore Centerstone’s services immediately," said Reed Hampton, a student speaker. Molly Hampton, a 16‑year‑old student, told the board that Centerstone had provided counseling in 32 schools and that Tennessee ranks last among states in youth access to mental‑health services, a statistic she attributed to the Tennessee Department of Education and statewide reports.

Mental‑health and youth‑advocacy speakers described gaps between the training and scope of school counselors and licensed therapists. "School counselors focus on academic support and general well‑being; licensed therapists diagnose and treat trauma and mental‑health disorders," said Crystal Beaum, a parent. Deirdre Catlett, operations director for the local nonprofit Be the Change Youth Initiative, asked the board to "listen to the youth in this room" and warned that students were carrying burdens that require clinical care.

Other speakers condemned organized political pressure on the board. Shay Connor, who identified herself as a public‑school graduate and physician, accused some outside groups of coordinating activism to influence the board and warned that the board’s decision could have "irreparable consequences for children, families and our community." Conversely, other commenters said national activist groups had pushed for renewing Centerstone and that the board was right to prioritize parental authority over outside influences.

Educators also criticized how the termination was implemented. Jeanette O’Markell and other teachers said the decision was announced with little notice, leaving students returning to school expecting services that were no longer available and staff without guidance on transitions. The board's student‑suicide prevention policy (policy 6.415) was cited by a speaker who said the district requires educators to complete annual suicide‑prevention training and argued that policy commitments should be matched by stable service delivery.

Board members did not take a new vote during the work session. After public comment concluded the board moved on to routine committee scheduling and other administrative items; the work session recessed for a break with no immediate change in policy.

The public testimony grouped several recurring concerns: the scale of licensed clinical services lost when the MOU ended, the needs of Title I and other high‑need students who cannot access private therapy during school hours, and procedural complaints about rapid implementation of the termination without a transition window or explicit guidance for families and school staff. Speakers on both sides asked for greater transparency and clearer communication from the board about next steps.

The board's legislative‑and‑policy updates at the end of the session covered meeting scheduling and upcoming committee activity but did not include a plan to restore the Centerstone MOU or to replace licensed clinicians removed by the August decision.