Chattanooga NAACP President Ann Pierre asked the Hamilton County Board of Education on Thursday to reject the proposal to relocate Orchard Knob Middle School, saying it doesn’t address the school’s longstanding academic performance issues.
Speaking at a work session prior to the board meeting, Pierre pointed to single-digit proficiency rates in English and math as evidence that the problems faced by Orchard Knob students go well beyond the school building itself.
The proposal was first announced in August when Superintendent Justin Robertson told the board the district was considering shuttering Orchard Knob’s existing building at 500 N. Highland Park Ave. and transitioning the school’s approximately 300 students 2 miles away to the campus of The Howard School. The decision was based on the condition of the existing building. Robertson called that condition “subpar.”
Since then, the district and school board representatives have held several community meetings to gather resident feedback and hear their concerns.