Hamilton County Schools considers exceptional education changes to address safety concerns

Hamilton County Schools office building (Photo by Hamilton County Schools)

Hamilton County Schools leaders floated the idea of changing the district’s exceptional education staffing model for some students with disabilities and behavioral problems at Thursday’s Board of Education meeting.

According to board member Felice Hadden, educators on the middle and high school levels have been particularly concerned about safety and injuries on the job due to student violence. Noting that some teachers are dealing with “dangerous and difficult situations,” she said the district should consider alternative placement for some students.

“I've just been made aware of some situations in our system. There are teachers and support staff - and I'm thinking just mainly in the middle and high school levels - who do not feel safe at school because of some of the actions of students, mainly students with disabilities, and quite a few on-the-job injury reports as a result of the injuries, [which are] ongoing situations. I also have been hearing that there are some staff and teachers who want to leave because of these situations,” she said.

“I'm not trying to attack or criticize anyone. I just know there's a particular situation in this area. It seems that, in my opinion, that we need a location, a different placement for students who have these disabilities, and where they can be themselves, better served in an environment tailored to their specific situations,” she said. “I would like to propose that we consider a placement, a new placement somewhere in our system.”

Hamilton County Schools Education Specialist Marlene Wolfe proposed adding another exceptional education staff position at Westview due to concerns about understaffing. She said she believes understaffing has exacerbated the issues noted by Hadden, adding that student violence could cause more teachers to quit.

“We simply do not have enough support staff,” she said.

Noting these concerns, Superintendent Justin Robertson instructed Hadden to form an advisory group to study the district’s current staffing model and search for alternative spaces for some students.

In other business, district leaders voted to approve a contract with Franklin Architects to design the new elementary school at the Dupont Elementary site at Hixson Pike and Access Road.