CHATTANOOGA, Tenn — The Hamilton County School Board will hear from dozens of students at its meeting Thursday afternoon, where they’ll once again discuss access to mental health services in the district’s schools.
During that meeting, board members voted to table Board Member Ben Connor’s amendment to reinstate Centerstone, and in favor of letting a Request for Proposal (RFP) process go forward instead.
Watch a livestream of the meeting below:
This comes after the board voted in August to end their agreement with Centerstone, a private health care company — and after last month’s meeting, which ended with one board member storming off while screaming “blood on your hands!“
Centerstone previously offered in-school therapy for students at no extra cost to the school district.
Some board members who voted to end the Centerstone agreement cited concerns over background checks, a lack of transparency, and the organization’s perceived ‘ideology.’
In September, board member Ben Connor proposed a policy revision that would let Centerstone return temporarily, provided that new safeguards were put in place.
That same month, a school board meeting turned contentious, with dozens of students and community members speaking out in defense of keeping Centerstone. Tensions flared, with emotional testimonies, public protests, and disruptions during the meeting.
By late September, questions remained about what, if anything, would replace Centerstone’s services. Many families expressed frustration and concern over the lack of support for students.
This month, the district opened a Request for Proposals to seek new mental health providers, aiming to offer families more options. Centerstone has since expressed interest in renewing its partnership under revised terms.
We will have a crew at Thursday afternoon’s meeting, and we’ll be updating this story as we learn more.
Depend on us to keep you posted.
Watch our previous coverage: