Change in BOE nepotism policy headed for a vote in January

TOP PHOTO: Board member Brandon Johnson, center proposed multiple policy changes to the BOE policy committee on Tuesday afternoon, including student nepotism, dress code, student representatives and more. Also pictured is BOE members and Policy committee members Brent Lester, left and Lisa Fields, right.

By Charlotte Underwood

JACKSBORO, TN (WLAF)- The Campbell County Board of Education held a policy committee meeting at 4 pm on Tuesday afternoon at the courthouse to discuss several policy changes proposed by BOE member Brandon Johnson, as well as policy committee chair Jamie Wheeler. The committee approved to add a student representative to the BOE board, as well adopting a changed nepotism policy. These policy changes will now go to the full BOE for a vote at the January meeting before being implemented. Other policy proposals discussed included the school dress code, school transfers, among other topics.

The BOE Policy Committee approved the proposed nepotism policy change submitted by Johnson, who said this policy “would strengthen” the district’s current nepotism policy. He said this policy fell more in line with Knox County and what “other major counties are doing like Nashville and Chattanooga.”

“Our nepotism policy right now does not include a whole lot …For example, I know she never would, but the way our current nepotism policy currently reads, Director Fields could have her brother-in-law or sister-in-law be our secondary supervisor, the way I read our nepotism policy … I want to make sure we don’t have instances like that happen, I know Director Fields would never do that, but we could have a director in 10 years that wants to put all kinds of members of family in different spots, so this strengthens our nepotism policy,” Johnson said.

The nepotism policy also addresses “employees in dating relationships and addresses obligations if a schoolteacher and a principal are in a relationship, and who is responsible for reporting the relationship. 

According to the new policy, it would prevent family members related to the director of schools from serving in supervisory positions. However, the policy states that anyone who is already serving in these positions currently will be “grandfathered” in.

Johnson made the motion the nepotism policy be adopted as proposed with the “understanding that any current existing relationships that would be in conflict to the new policy are grandfathered.”

The policy change passed committee and now will be added to the agenda for a full board vote come January.

Another policy change approved by the policy committee was the addition of school representatives.

The position will be for a non-voting student representative from each high school to sit on the BOE board. They must be a current student, The student representative would be “responsible for attending all regularly scheduled board meetings, serve on committees, “report to students about the work of the board, maintain their status as a student in good standing and adhere to the school board code of ethics.”

“The student representative to the board will not make motions, second motions, or vote; attend executive sessions, receive compensation for their service to the school board, hold board offices; participate in board discussion involving personnel matters, legal matters, individual student discipline, or other confidential matters as deemed necessary by the board.”

Johnson’s original proposal was for there to be a student representative chosen from each high school, but only one would be chosen as the student representative, while the other student would serve as an alternate. Other BOE Policy Committee members said they supported the idea of student representatives, but only if a representative was chosen from each high school through an “application process” that would be fair to all.

Johnson said he did not think that was “fair” because the student population at Jellico was not equal to that of CCHS.

BOE Board Chair Jeffrey Miller said he supported it only if was a member from each high school, and that was how it had been done in the past.

“It’s a high school over in the fifth district that has 200 kids and to say they are going to be an alternate or less equal, I can’t support that,” Miller said. Johson said the Jellico students would “have the equal opportunity to compete against Campbell County students.”

“I’m in favor of it with one from each high school,” Miller reiterated.

“I don’t personally think it’s fair to subsidize a smaller school and guarantee them a slot, let both students compete equally, I’m a conservative; let’s let both students from each school compete equally and the best student win. I don’t think we should say hey, based on your geographic location, you deserve the same amount of representation as a school four times your size, but that’s just my opinion,” Johnson said.

Johnson did say he “was open to it changing,” if that’s what it took to get “student input” on the board.

Policy Committee Chair Wheeler said the way she looked at it, the student representative from Jellico was not just representing Jellico High School and Elementary, but was also representing Elk Valley, Wynn, and White Oak.”

Johnson said it “didn’t make sense to him that one student would be representing 80-percent of the student population, and the other student would represent 20 percent, but “their weight would carry the same.”

Johnson said if he needed to “back down for a pass” he would, but he still felt it should just be one student.

“I’m just saying as a conservative, we should let both compete equally and select the best candidate regardless,” Johnson said.

Wheeler said the “students would be competing within their high schools and that the board would have the best from each school.”

“I still like the idea of two, having one from each high school,” Wheeler said.

Johnson amended his proposal, saying he would “compromise” and that the student representative policy proposal would be re-written to reflect a representative from each high school and also to reflect the change that the “entire board screens/decides on approving the member that is selected from each school.”

The policy will be voted on by the full BOE at its January meeting. (WLAF NEWS PUBLISHED-12/11/2024-6AM)