Hello and welcome to School Report.
The Hamilton County Board of Education will meet Thursday at 5:30 p.m. Two major topics of on the agenda include the recommendation of an architect for a new Tyner middle/high school and clarification on the approval of literature and textbooks as curriculum in the district.
The recommended firm for the Tyner project is MBI Companies Inc. of Knoxville, according to a document on the board's October meeting agenda. The firm will require approval from the board followed by the Hamilton County Commission.
Key points of the project include a combined middle/high school similar to Signal Mountain Middle/High School serving 1,300-1,400 students, according to a slide deck from MBI Companies in the agenda document. The firm provides three options for the project and has completed over 100 school projects, according to the agenda document.
Discussion of approving literature and texts for curriculum comes on the heels of an opinion article by board member Rhonda Thurman last week, which raised concerns about explicit language, violence and sex depicted in four young adult novels in Hamilton County Schools libraries.
A few parents and community members raised the topic with board members at the August school board meeting, and the district received three Request for Reconsideration forms last week to review three of the books. The books delve into social issues including poverty and racial inequality, and none are currently part of the district's curriculum.
School districts on fall break this week include Bledsoe County Schools and Grundy County Schools - the first week where it actually feels like fall! Thank you for reading, and please send any tips, questions or story ideas straight to my inbox at achaturvedi@timesfreepress.com.