JMCSS Board addresses suicide prevention, half-day of classes

All nine members of the new version of the Jackson-Madison County Schools Board were in attendance on Thursday for their first official meeting.

The meeting that lasted about a half-hour saw the Board approve a resolution acknowledging September as Suicide Prevention Month after hearing from a coworker of new member Glen Gaugh who lost a child that died by suicide a few years ago and now volunteers her time regularly for the Tennessee Suicide Prevention Network. Her name was Lyn Julian.

Superintendent Marlon King gave a report at the end of the meeting after being honored with a plaque for being selected as the Tennessee Organization of School Superintendents’ southwest region’s Superintendent of the Year.

Gary Lily, another superintendent, said King is a person whose views and opinions are respected statewide because of his innovative methods of leadership.

King’s report at the end of the meeting mostly focused on Friday’s half-day of school that was scheduled officially earlier this week after representatives from the West Tennessee State Fair wanted to do something for JMCSS students, which resulted in the Fair opening early on Friday at 1 p.m. to give the students a few hours with free admission for students from pre-K through fifth grade and everyone else associated with the District getting in for $2.

“I did have some conversations over e-mail with parents who raised concerns about not a lot of prior notice for parents who don’t have anywhere else to put their child so they have to figure out what to do with them,” King said. “And one conversation I had right before coming in here was with a member of our Parents Advisory Council.

“And one possible solution I suggested to her was have her bring the idea of extended childcare to the council and have them bring it to the district.”

King said his former district – Fayette County – had extended childcare services so that after school on regular days or on half-days and even days impacted by weather like snow, fewer parents would have to choose between going to work or staying home with their child or children.

“That was something even we took advantage of at the time because we had no other family in the area,” King said. “So that might be something you all hear form the parents’ advisory council later.”

The notion of the half-day was first presented publicly Monday evening during the school board’s work session and then announced on the District’s social media pages Tuesday morning. A number of comments on the social media postings expressed frustration from parents in a position similar to what King described during Thursday night’s meeting. King defended the move.

“Our students work so hard, and we can’t plan for everything, and sometimes good things just fall into your lap,” King said. “And this is something so rare because how many of our students will never get another chance ever as a child to go to the fair?

“That’s why I’m OK with this and OK to have the conversations I’m having.”

In other moves, the new board elected its officers – chairman, vice-chairman, parliamentarian and legislative liaison.

Pete Johnson, who’d spent the past five years as chair, was not nominated to serve in the capacity this coming year. Harvey Walden and Jason Compton were nominated with Walden winning 5-4. Walden’s voters were himself, Shane Barnes (who nominated him), Debbie and Glen Gaugh and Marcia Moss.

Debbie Gaugh was voted vice-chair over Compton with the same margin of win and the same breakdown of voters.

Glen Gaugh was voted as the legislative liaison over Andrea Michelle Givens-Moore by the same vote.

Andre Darnell was re-elected as parliamentarian over Glen Gaugh by a vote of 5-4, and the votes were near the same, except Barnes didn’t vote with his normal group and vote.

“I’m very honored to be selected to serve as chairman” Walden said after the meeting. “I have big shoes to fill from Pete, but I saw the way he did his job and have a good example to go by.

“The board members and Dr. King can be assured that I don’t plan to bring any large changes to howe we do things.”

The Johnson and Walden did announce at the end of the meeting that the date of the October meetings will move because as the calendar falls, they’re currently scheduled to happen during fall break. The dates for those meetings will be announced at a later date.

Brandon Shields, brandon@jacksonpost.news