KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Knox County Schools met Monday and decided to move the daily operations of the school district's clothing center under the "School Culture Department," a decision that came after controversy across the community.
A resolution proposed by board members calls for the clothing center's assets to be removed by the end of the year, at its Cedar Bluff location. The center serves more than 2,000 students, handing out more than 60,000 appropriate and clean articles of clothing to families who may otherwise not be able to afford them.
"I do believe that this issue is very important. I find myself frustrated about the amount of time that we have spent on this topic. I've been on the board for two months now, and we've spent over 10 hours," said Lauren Morgan, a member of Knox County Schools' board.
The resolution passed Monday also includes more than $100,000 to help the center transition, and calls on the district to name a long-term partner no later than April 2025.
Another contentious proposal caught the attention of the community. A slate of proposals that removes and replaces some anti-discrimination language from Knox County Schools' policies passed on first reading. The policies will need to pass on a second reading before going into effect.
Instead of specifying federal and state-protected classes, language was changed in the school district's policies to say students shall unilaterally be treated equally, and could not be "discriminated against on any basis."
Previous language listed protected characteristics that the school district could be liable for protecting. Previously, advocates said by replacing specifically protected characteristics with broad language, discrimination reports could be more ambiguous and LGBTQ+ students may have fewer anti-discrimination protections.
Proposals to change Knox County Schools' anti-discrimination language came after Public Chapter 0780 went into effect, which changed the state's Teacher Code of Ethics to similarly replace anti-discrimination language.