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Students and board members report back from state and national education conferences
Summary
Students from Morristown East and West described their participation in the Tennessee School Boards Association Student Congress (SCOPE). Board members who attended the national state-school-board conference in Atlanta summarized sessions on governance, strategic planning, school safety and student engagement.
Students from Morristown East and Morristown West told the Hamblen County Board of Education about their experience at the Tennessee School Boards Association Student Congress on Policies in Education (SCOPE).
Jocelyn Harris, elected a state vice president and a state officer at the conference, said the event helps students understand how legislation affects schools and gives delegates experience presenting and debating policy. “I think it's a very thoroughly educational experience for lots of high school students to understand what actually goes into the legislation that affects them at their school levels and to be able to speak in front of an audience and meet people and present yourself well,” Harris said.
Student delegates reported debating topics including school uniforms, extended school year, mandatory community-service graduation requirements and whether a CTE (career and technical education) postsecondary class should be required for graduation. The students said district and state associations use the SCOPE input as part of wider policy consideration.
Separately, five of seven board members and staff attended the 2025 COSBA (national conference of state school boards associations) in Atlanta in March and gave a joint report on takeaways. Board presenters described sessions on board governance and law, strategic planning, student engagement, academic instruction, school safety and crisis management.
Presenters emphasized student voice and community engagement, noting repeated conference messages that boards should balance accountability with empathy and focus decisions on student needs. One board member said sessions on strategic planning and data briefs were directly applicable to local priorities; another highlighted grant-funded instructional innovations such as an aerospace program that provided high-school credit with simulators purchased through a $500,000 grant in another district.
Ending
Board members thanked students and returning conference attendees and encouraged other board members to participate in TSBA virtual training opportunities; the board announced an upcoming budget working session and strategic-planning work session on the district calendar.
