Students from Cannon County Lend Their Insight To Issues Facing Public Education at Statewide Forum

Students fromCannon County High School joined approximately 342 of their high school peers in Murfreesboro on March 10th, 2020 to express their views on public education in Tennessee at the Tennessee School Boards Association (TSBA) Student Congress on Policies in Education (SCOPE). The event took place on the Middle Tennessee State University campus.

L-R: Curtis Carrier, McCavanagh and Bell

Attending from Cannon County High School were: Bryndan McCavanagh – 9th Grade; Nolan Bell – 10th Grade; Hannah Carrier – 11th Grade; and Perry Baird – 12th Grade was unable to attend this year.  They were chaperoned and driven to the event in the Canon County High School Driver’s Education vehicle by Director of Cannon County Schools William F. Curtis.  He stated regarding the SCOPE event, “This group of student representatives from Cannon County High School represented our School System in a very distinguished way.  They had great thoughts about the debate topics and each one contributed to their specific small groups. This is a great group of students, and I look forward to their being a continued asset to the Cannon County Board of Education as student advisors. We are very appreciative to the Cannon County Board of Education for sponsoring these excellent individuals to represent them at this informative training event.”  

Now in its 38th year, SCOPE is designed to give students a voice where public education issues are concerned and to involve young people in finding solutions to the topics that are discussed. Attendees participated in mock school board sessions, where they assumed the roles of school board members, school officials, parents, students and concerned citizens. School board members, superintendents, and educational leaders led the sessions.

Students then chose speakers to represent each of their 16 small groups who went on to take part in full-scale debates on current education issues. This year’s four debate topics and results from the poll were:

1.       Cyberbullying shall be a zero-tolerance offense.

(Agree: 13%, Disagree: 87%)

2.       The Uniform Grading Scale shall be adjusted to the traditional format.

(Agree: 43%, Disagree: 57%)

3.       Students with perfect attendance shall be exempt from final exams.

(Agree: 27%, Disagree: 73%)

4.       The school calendar shall be adjusted to a year-round schedule.

(Agree: 42%, Disagree: 58%)

SCOPE delegates elected 2021 SCOPE officers and they are:

·        President: Drew Piper, Forrest High School, Marshall County

·        1st Vice President: Maya Pound, Center for Creative Arts, Hamilton County

·        2nd Vice President: Kylei Honea, Columbia Central High School, Maury County

The Tennessee School Boards Association was organized in 1939 to provide a united voice in education for local public school boards. In 1953, the State Legislature officially recognized TSBA as the “organization and representative agency of the members of school boards in Tennessee.”

The Tennessee School Boards Association is a service organization to all the state’s school boards. It serves as an advocate for the interests of Tennessee’s public school students and school districts and provides in-service training and assistance for the state’s 983 board of education members of which the Cannon County Board of Education is a member.