Hamilton County Schools have never been in the news as much as they are right now in the aftermath of a Dec. 22 hazing-turned-rape incident.
And it goes without saying that this is not the kind of news any of us want to hear.
But the news that a 15-year-old Ooltewah basketball player had to undergo surgery after his colon and bladder were ruptured during a rape with a pool cue while at a tournament stay-over in Gatlinburg just before Christmas has galvanized parents, students and citizens of our county to be concerned and pay attention to Hamilton County school news in a way that nothing else has ever done.
News that data show 60 percent of all Hamilton County third-graders do not read on grade level barely raised a ripple.
Reporting that Hamilton County businesses have 15,000 unfilled jobs because they can’t find educationally qualified applicants prompted a cynical online comment or two.