JEFFERSON COUNTY, Tennessee — Concerns from parents, teachers and community members continue as they express frustrations about the conditions at Jefferson Elementary.
WBIR recently reported concerns from teachers, principals and district leaders about the need for renovations, or an entirely new school for Jefferson Elementary School students. Issues included asbestos, a lack of a working sprinkler system and air conditioning and heating problems.
On Thursday, the Jefferson County Board of Education held a regular school board meeting, marking the first time the public could express their concerns directly to the school board.
The board meeting lasted several hours, and several resolutions and items were brought to a vote.
The most immediate action regarding Jefferson Elementary is put on the shoulders of Tommy Arnold, Director of schools for Jefferson County.
Arnold is expected to report back to the board in October and reveal a plan and cost estimate to move students out of Jefferson Elementary.
"I want to see immediate action and I think the other 700 parents behind me do as well," Taylor Hackbarth, a JES parent, said.
A former school board member proposed a solution.
"Get them out of the building immediately," Robbie Pinkerton said. "Rent a building to put them in 'til you can get a proper building for them to go into."
Parents expressed their frustrations.
"We have holes in windows at this school, did y'all know this?" Bradley Newman, a parent who pulled his daughter out of JES, said. "We've put it on Facebook, it's the only way we've been able to get anything done."
And a former teacher pushed the county to do better.
"Children, especially the children we serve at Jefferson Elementary, need to know that somebody loves them and cares about them," Pam Hester, former JES teacher, said. "That school doesn't look like someone loves and cares about them."
All of these people have one thing in common: They want to see a change at Jefferson Elementary.
"The whole county gotta come together in a hurry to solve the problems at Jefferson Elementary," Ken Morton said.
Recently, WBIR obtained a TOSHA report from the school district, outlining concerns.
Here are the complaints filed:
- There is no A/C in the gym where children are made to exercise in extreme heat depending on the weather.
- There is raw sewage backing up into the school due to plumbing issues.
- There are safety concerns about windows opening from the wind or weather.
- There is exposed and unmaintained asbestos throughout the school with holes in the walls, cracks and holes in vents, and holes in the ceiling tiles.
- There is a lack of proper ventilation and working air units throughout the school causing humidity levels so high that metal furniture gets rusty and items in many parts of the building grow mold.
The district has since resolved those concerns.
This is an excerpt from the letter from Tommy Arnold, Director of Schools in Jefferson County.
"To address the concerns in your letter dated August 7, 2024 regarding Jefferson Elementary School please see below:
- Large fans are provided in the gym and doors can be propped open. A/C is not required in the state of Tennessee.
- A pipe was blocked, and sewage backed up into the school. Sewage was pumped by Rose Septic on November 28, 2023 and a section of sewer line was replace. This resolved the issue (see attached invoice).
- When windows are properly locked by teachers and staff, the windows do not open during inclement weather.
- Asbestos is being maintained and removed as necessary throughout the school. Attached are the 3-year and 6-month AHERA reports showing contained asbestos locations. The cafeteria tile was recently removed and remediated (see attached invoices and reports).
- The attached mold test, mold remediation, and re-test data shows that Jefferson County Schools takes a proactive stance on the environmental health of our students and staff. In 2017, we tested 14 classrooms, showed possible mold in 8 classrooms. We had a company provide mold remediation and re-tested classrooms showing a reduced mold count. We also tested a classroom at Jefferson Elementary School in August 2024 and are awaiting results."