The decision came down from Central office that Sevier County Schools will be closed Wednesday and Thursday due to illness.
The school system had a 16 percent absentee rate Tuesday.
Out of a total of 14,500 students, 2337 students were absent or left early today.
Sevier County School Superintendent Dr. Jack Parton told the Seymour Herald, “We’ve been tracing it (the flue) for the last five or six days and the percentage of students and faculty affected kept inching up to 16 percent so we had to do something.”
With over 200 employees and 2000 students and at least eight bus drivers missing from school today, the decision was made to close school for a few days to give everyone a chance to get well.
Parton explained that the problem was when the students would go home sick then return to school, they would get re-infected and the cycle would start all over again.
In addition, there were no additional substitute teachers to take the place of the sick faculty which caused another problem.
“Over the next three or four days we’re going to get in there and sanitize and disinfect the door knobs, water fountains and other areas,” stated Parton.
Parton said that they hope with these few days off combined with the winter break, the students and faculty will have sufficient time to overcome their ailments.
Greg Clark, principle of the Seymour High School said that the numbers of students leaving to go home sick was in the 20 to 30 groups all day.
“The percentage of kids sick went from 15 – 18 percent,” Clark told the Seymour Herald. “It started heading down then started going up again.”
“We even had some team members that were sick and missed the championship basket ball game last night.”
Clark says it’s been a pesky little bug and he’s glad Central Office decided to close the schools to give everyone a chance to recover.
School will reopen again February 19, 2008.
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User Comments
... preventive measures would have alleviated all this mess... Start getting a hold on it before it starts, it can't be avoided and it is a fact every year, why do you think Flu shots are available???
This should have been done before Christmas !
A little prevention goes a long way. Perhaps if the schools were not overcrowded and routinely cleaned, such disease transmission would not be so severe. Seems that the cancellation has more to do with the fact that there are not enough substitute teachers to go around with all of the regular faculty out ill....not to mention all of the kids. Wake up! Common sense is truly lacking at the top of the food chain! In more ways than one! This is but just another sorry example of the inept administration in Sevier County schools.
Is it simly a cooincidence that closing plans were modified on rather short notice for earlier closing than previously scheduled due to possibe actions of State Officials moving in on Central Office pulling employment records in an attempt to 'match up' one file on school employee with that same person employed by the Sheriff's Department?
How will we know, how will we learn the facts about the extent, as reported, of the actual flu's effect on the school operation and the 'extenuiating circumstance' relative to employment in the Sevier County Government? How can
one person function as full-time employee in both departments? Huckabee evidently isn't the only person who 'believes in Miracles'!
If the information poasted is actually true, is this one of the added benefits coming from having a a 'PHD' at the Head of Schools, a Pistol Packer at the Jail - which carries more punch?
Repeat after me "If I am not happy with Sevier County Schools I will move my children to a different county". Please, I'll help you pack! The fine people of Sevier County are tired of people mouthing off and when time comes to step up for a change they cower in the corner screaming "not me not me". Get over yourself and do us all a favor. Run for office or SHUT UP. I have a cold that I got from work. In between shooting up vita C, diet coke and chicken noodle soup I have nothing better to do but follow you from paper to paper shooting down your unrealistic sermons on the evils of the school system.
# 5 Seems that your mentality is part of what is wrong with this county and its school system. Telling someone to leave or to shut up is not the solution. At least not with me, or with many others that are speaking out. That sort of mentality simply says that there are problems many of us recognize however people like you refuse to make the changes necessary to correct these problems. Does change scare you? There are some of us who do not cower in the corner and who will not "shut up" despite discourse! Think you may be shooting more than Vitamin C! There is nothing unrealistic in seeking and demanding improvement for a PUBLIC tax funded entity that affects many.
Run for office as in put your time where your mouth is and run for the school board. Talk about shooting up? Try understanding the written word.
You don't cower? Where was your name on the ballet? People that try to be recliner quarterback not only sound like morons everyone perseveres them to be morons. Lady, put down your cookie pan and your spoon and get on the front lines of the Education battle. And yes, Lady it is a battle. You seem fairly intelligent. The school system needs people like you. We need you to change the system from the inside. Why not volunteer at your kid’s school a couple days a week? Got a couple years of college? Why not get work as a teacher’s aide? Or would you rather sit on the sideline, bitch and whine while others go out and try to make a difference in a child’s life. What, sorry I couldn’t hear you. Is that a whine I HEAR, or is that you leaning back in your recliner?
#7 I never took ballet growing up so I don't tippy-toe too well. I know that I would be happy to meet more parents at the board meetings. The more parents show up, the more responsive the school board becomes, but I am bothered that you feel that only people who run for office and win are allowed to participate in public discourse. I have opinions and whether they are popular or not makes no mind if I don't have the wherewithal to express them in the open arena of ideas.
Since the schools are funded by the taxpayers through various taxes, why aren't more people more interested in every single dime that is spent and every action taken. Most of us stretch and tug at each penny spent in our family lives yet when our money is confiscated by the government we grow silent when other people spend our money. Moreover some let themselves be silenced with platitudes like "it's all for the good of the children."
I say show up!!! Unless an emergency arises in my profession, I make time for board meetings, even if they do look a little rehearsed and offer no insight into the actual functioning of the school.
In case you weren't at the board meeting, I sent Mr. Karl a write up that is posted in the SCHOOL NEWS SECTION, with added commentary of course. ;)
# 7 You have me confused with some one else! I do contribute exorbitantly in time and monies to these schools and no, I am not a stay at home parent. It would not matter if I were. That is not the issue.
You seem to lack basic knowledge and cognizance of how exactly to run for county office. One does not run for school board when one does not reside in that particular zone. Talk about moronic!
Were you at the last school board meeting? I do not recall seeing you! What exactly do you contribute in battle?
Yes, I am a college graduate, however, that has no bearing on this matter. There are changes to be made and one cannot make positive changes unless there is recognition! So, while you perceive that I bitch, moan, and whine, what exactly do you contribute to the great debate of education, other than trying to silence others whom you may or may not agree with? Last I looked, I did not see any name on the opposing balled in Zone #2 and Zone #4. Both of those individuals ran unopposed. Wonder why your name was not there? Were you at home stuck in your recliner eating those cookies with your spoon?
No lady i was trying to help your children become strong, loving, independent and responsible adults. So you see I'm not on the front line but not the sideline either. I pity those that try to educate your kids. I have always heard the apple doesn't far from the tree.
And as you say, if one does not enter a county election then one can not win, can one. Gee it is ballet isn't. What one can see if one has their glasses on.
I’ll be honest with you. If you talk to those that teach children in the manner you speak here you are part of the reason some the wonderful teacher I have known through the years has left the career they love and the children they thought they would help. It is so hard to see someone new to teaching come in to it with such spirit only to meet a parent like you that is so jaded and with your own agenda. Ah, one must know when ones sentences are getting longer and a cold is getting the best of them, sorry I forgot, the best of one. Wow, what one can learn when one talks to one’s better. One more thing, I notice above you said “this county”. Do you actually live in Sevier County? For how long for you don’t mind me asking? I was born and raised here. My daughter graduated from high school here. I care about my county, my schools, my roads and my neighbors. It’s not “this county” it’s our county. And it’s far from perfect but where you moved from wasn’t either. Why stir up trouble when you have nothing better to replace it with?
Why even bother with electing school board members? If I didn’t trust the person that was up for election I would vote for someone else or run myself. If you have a problem sure, a school board meeting is the place to be. I’ve been there a few times myself. I have a special ed child so I’ve been in just about every office in Central office at one point or another. When I have had a problem I went to my board member and said “look I have a problem”. He couldn’t help me so I took it before the board, everyone agreed with me and all was happy. What bothers me is that every time the School System or Mr. Partons’ name is mention you all start yapping like a trained Chihuahuas. What problems exactly are having with the school system? Why can they not be solved through the regular channels? Is it really necessary to scream and beat your chest to get someone attention? I have always found, with the exception of one person, that if treated people with respect I could get answers that I needed. Then move on to changing minds. And trust me, my daughter was the first one in our area to be “mainstreamed” so I butted heads from 8am to 5:30pm just about every day for 2 years. I threw IDEA laws at everybody from the school janitors to Mr. Parton but I did it politely and with respect. I don’t understand your anger and disrespect you and the other lady seem to have for the county you live in. Sevierville is a community. Or at least it was.
yeall come back now ya hear
I get it! Don't air the dirty laundry! Keep silent! Keep problems out of public view! Throw money away! Allow our system to be run down! But above all else, DON'T SPEAK!!!
Speaking means ANGER! Having an opinion means being hurtful!
I love your angry retort for everyone to leave the county that doesn't like the way things are run. That's conducive to building a better community. If I don't like my bowl of beef stew, I'm not going to just throw it away, I may try to add a little salt or pepper to make it more palatable. I may even offer a taste to the chef to see if they find my improvements worthy. Perhaps the recipe will be altered using my improvements, perhaps not, but stone silence changes nothing.
In a community of 80,000 people, do you honestly think that 5 board members are going to represent all people equally? Do you honestly think that board members know all 16,000 of their constituents? Do you honestly think that all 80,000 people are equally concerned about the education of children in OUR county? Do you honestly think that all of those that are truly concerned about their children getting the best education here are receiving all of the information about that goes on in our system?
They will as long as I have the ability to take it to the masses!!!
I sure would like to know who is getting paid by the Sheriff's Department and the School system. That's two county payrolls being mooched off of.
#10 Oh, are you a school teacher? Is that why you are so bent out of shape? Do you find this criticism unfair? Alas, this is now making sense!
You need to wake up lady and realize that public positions funded off the public tax dollars are open for scrutiny all over America. Why should you be exempt from such criticism?
I would believe that some people erroneously equate the words congeniality with respect. The two words are not synonymous. Just because a person disagrees with a position does not mean that that person is right or wrong! And yes, they do have the right to speak out. Do all school teachers have such concrete black/white thinking? Is that what is wrong here? You cannot see the gray?
Last I looked, this was the United States of America and free speech is the first amendment and only in Sevier county school board meetings, is that right restricted as the public who funds this defunct entity is restricted from saying anything aloud and/or encounters major resistance in getting on the agenda. I go to those meetings and I have seen first hand parents with legitimate concerns being restricted from speaking aloud and or censured.
Let me correct you. How does that sit with a seemingly controlling school teacher? ( By the way, Is that how you conduct yourself in front of the kids as well? When you disagree or do not wish to hear it, term the kids as disrespectful?) Again, One does not run for school board when that particular seat is not yet open for re-election. It has nothing to do with winning or losing. Running unopposed is not a race. That simply shows apathy. Believe you me, when that particular position does open, the board member is that particular district will not run unopposed. I guarantee it.
You imply you had problems with your special education child? Why would you have resistance in such a perfect set up such as Sevier county schools? Perhaps since you were born and raised here you know all the answers? There are many of us who have lived here a long time that know that there are better ways to handle situations and can see the lack of leadership and the malaise that exists within. You seem to have blinded mentality indeed. Can one say that any more respectfully?
First of all let's make sure the bathrooms have soap. So the children can wash their hands. I don't know about all the schools (Seymour-4) but 2 our of our 4 never have soap in the bathroom! How do student wash their hands and remove germs?
I agree, how much of an effort does it take to get the board to supply our schools with the necessary hygiene products that are needed. Even if they demand that children bring their own to school, what about people from the general public coming in and using the facilities? They need to wash their hands too!
#16 and #17 Right on. One cannot expect disease transmission to not occur when schools do not even have the necessary supplies for the kids to use.
Did I say that respectfully and politely?
You are missing the point. Surprising ain’t it. Nothing is going to be changed in the county by a few people kicking and screaming. The only way it can be changed is if the boulders that sit like Lords of yesteryear on their thrones in Central Office are thrown out. Parton is going nowhere as long as the cards that hold him up are in place. In order to change that someone with enough wits will have to run for the school board. In case you haven’t noticed in your well rehearsed fits Sevier County is a good old boys’ paradise. I know I posted this same thing to you a few months ago when you were raving about some injustice. CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW? I’m on your side but you aren’t going to do it like you have been. McGaha might be able to pull it off just by name recognition. You and I, as women and not married to a county official (I am assuming here) are not powerful enough to make a stand without taking a seat on the board. No I’m not a teacher. Sorry!
I think you can pull it off. It is exactly you, me, and others rallying for more "outsiders" to go to the board meetings that will affect this community.
1st we need parents to go to the meetings.
2nd we need parents pressuring board members to allow public comments at the board meetings.
3rd we need to find real solutions that can work. The difficulty is in showing the problems that need to be fixed. I have been told that I should never bring up the negatives of the school system. I have been told that I need to focus on the positives. The positives, well, they are good, why would I want to change those?
Last night as I delved on this, I had an epiphany. Perhaps instead of trying to have the external communities of Sevier County incorporate; now is the time to rally for statehood for Sevier County.
As of now, we take in billions of dollars of tax revenue through the sweat of the local citizenry's back. That money is sent to Nashville and spread around the state. The state in turns provides no real benefit to Sevier County. The state does nothing but confiscate our money and dilutes throughout the rest of the state. If we press for statehood at this level, I see no reason that we cannot take our own tax dollars and choose how best to use them closer to home. Perhaps we could get rid of the TEA since we wouldn't be in Tennessee any longer. Perhaps we could pay teacher $100,000 a year. With that kind of pay, we could pick and choose our teachers and get rid of the dead weights. When Tennessee became a state in 1796, it had approximately 60,000 residents. We currently have 80,000 people in Sevier County.
The state of Tennessee provides no great protections or benefits for the citizenry. The federal government has confiscated so many rights from the states that it just doesn't seem to make sense for this county to make tribute (pay taxes) to the lords of the state AND the lords of the federality. We could cut out the middle group and have direct representation in DC and keep our tourism dollars HERE!!! I could just go on and on and on!
# 19 I beg to differ. I do believe that people can make a difference. If more people would kick and scream about the "boulders of yesteryear that sit on their thrones in the central office", they would conduct themselves much differently. Citizens of this community need to make these public officials be accountable. That does not often work by being polite or respectful. Especially in a good old boys paradise! When so many parents and citizens suit up and show up and demand accountability , there will be change. Positive change does not occur by quietly conforming or acquiescing to what one knows to be wrong or functional for only a few, and dysfunctional and or wrong for the masses. We must continually seek betterment for our youth or suffer the consequences. This applies whether one is male, female, amphibian, or ape!
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