Mayor Indya Kincannon said the city and KPD will withdraw from its agreement with the school system starting June 12, but officers will still respond to emergencies.
Knox County Board of Education to discuss school security, future mask use
Board members want to talk about district agreements with law enforcement and local government to use officers in schools. Future mask use also is on the table Author: Yvonne Thomas Updated: 12:49 PM EDT May 5, 2021
KNOX COUNTY, Tenn. The future of school security and the future of masks will be discussed Wednesday night by Knox County school board members as they prepare for the end of a long, hard school year.
The 5 p.m. work session will be at the City County Building. The voting meeting will follow a week later.
With a path cleared by Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee, Knox County s indoor mask mandate was swiftly nixed by Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs.
The lifting of the mask mandate, however, isn t complete at the seat of government itself. The City-County Building is jointly occupied, and the city of Knoxville and the court system still want a mask requirement in place. The Public Building Authority, which owns and operates the building, is requiring masks in common spaces like elevators and hallways.
Dwight Van de Vate, county chief operating officer, sent an email to county employees explaining the rules early Wednesday morning. Masks will not be required inside county offices, although Van de Vate said any employee who wishes to continue wearing a mask in the workplace is free to do so.
But Knox County Schools is governed by its own policy.
One L&N Stem Academy student and five Farragut High School students missed school Friday morning to speak in favor of keeping masks.
Selom Bediako is a virtual student but has to go in the school building for Advanced Placement tests. She has two brothers who are at high-risk for getting severely sick if they contract COVID-19. I m forced to go in for my AP tests this week, Bediako said. And I ve been in for times past for testing. And it s already incredibly stressful with just the thought of bringing something back home. And with no mask policy, that would be exacerbated tenfold. I m supposed to be focusing on doing my best on a test but I can t help but think that I maybe be bringing something back that could be deadly to my brothers and that s something that I as a student should not have to talk about.
Apr 30, 2021
Apr 30, 2021
The Knox County Board of Education is seeking to add the Knox County Area Technology Center to its list of schools.
On Monday night, the Board authorized chairman Dr. Thomas Ashburn to submit a petition to education commissioner Dr. Jason Glass at the Kentucky Department of Education for local control of the school.
Currently, the school district owns the facility, however, the courses and staff are decided upon by the state office of career and technical education. In this move, the school district would gain complete local control of the school including the staff. Part of the agreement with the Department of Education would include full funding for the operation of the school during the first year and seventy-five percent each year thereafter.