Resident urges Scott County Board to oppose landfill recertification, asks board to allow school signs and send letter to TDEC

A resident urged the Scott County Board of Education on an item during the public-comment portion of its meeting to oppose a proposed landfill recertification and the transport of fly ash through the county and asked the board to endorse a community letter to the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation.

Michelle Cox, who identified the group she represents as a nonprofit, told the board that "anyone that's ... living along the track, is gonna now be living in a dump. That's what that amounts to." She said she hoped board members would "sign that letter tonight, and send it to TDEC." She also asked the board to allow signs to be placed at Eckland Field Elementary School to raise awareness about the issue and to solicit support at coveringclear.org, a website she cited for residents to join or donate.

The speaker referenced photographs shown by "Mr. Horner" to illustrate concerns about the landfill and said officials should consider impacts on school start and end times, when children are arriving and departing. The speaker suggested involving high school students in the campaign and said the group is organized as a nonprofit.

Board members did not record formal action on the request during the excerpted portion of the meeting. The transcript shows the remarks came during public comment rather than as an agenda item, and the speaker said final decisions or formal endorsements would require separate board action.

The speaker also referenced upcoming school events and local high school athletics in passing; those remarks were not presented as part of a formal board request.

The board did not announce a vote on permitting signs at school or on sending the letter to TDEC in the available transcript excerpt. Any future board consideration or formal action would need to be recorded in a subsequent agenda item or meeting minutes.