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Board approves contract to expand athletic-trainer coverage for Elizabethton schools
Summary
The Elizabethton board approved a service agreement with Smith Rehabilitation Services to provide roughly 20 hours per week of athletic-trainer coverage for the 20242025 school year, citing a national shortage of trainers and the need for on-site medical response at practices and events.
The Elizabethton City Schools Board of Education voted to approve a service agreement with Smith Rehabilitation Services to provide athletic-training services for the 20242025 school year.
Director Van Huss told the board the district needs additional on-site coverage for practices and home events, pointing to new heat- and safety-related demands on student-athletes. "We would get roughly about 20 hours a week... for someone to be there on campus at our home events," Van Huss said. He noted Justin Smith and his family have provided services for years but that the demand now requires a formal agreement.
Justin Smith, identified in the record as representing Smith Rehabilitation Services, said the company is pursuing additional staff and interviews to meet school needs and underscored a broader staffing shortage: "This is just not an ... issue with Elizabethton City Schools. This is a nationwide problem because there is a nationwide shortage of athletic trainers," he said.
The board moved and seconded the measure and voted in favor; no opposing votes were recorded in the transcript. The motion authorizes the district to secure athletic-trainer coverage to respond to medical emergencies and to provide sideline support during practices and games.
The board did not record a roll-call vote or individual vote tallies in the meeting record. The agreement was described as providing coverage and flexibility rather than guaranteeing a single named trainer at every event; Justin Smith said the arrangement would allow his company to hire appropriate personnel to staff sidelines and practices.
What's next: The district will execute the service agreement and Smith Rehabilitation Services will continue staffing efforts; the board did not set additional reporting requirements on staffing levels in the public discussion recorded in the transcript.
