Rumor Mill – October 2, 2015

Published October 2, 2015

The purpose of this section is to answer any questions parents, teachers or community members might have regarding the school district and to set the record straight in regards to any rumors that might be circulating.

If you have a question or have heard a rumor that you would like for us to address, simply SEND US your questions and we will respond to them in upcoming issues of InFocus. Below are some of the questions we have received since our last issue.

Is it true that students cannot bring their Bibles to school in WCS?

It is a myth that students cannot have a Bible with them at a public school in the United States. The First Amendment and related case law restricts government agencies, including public school systems, from establishing religion or prohibiting the free exercise of religion. In other words, public school teachers cannot proselytize to students their religious beliefs or prohibit students from practicing their religion. Of course, there is a time and place for everything, and students are often restricted to class materials during class periods. Many of our students read Bibles or other books during lunch or other break times.

I have heard that Winstead Elementary School is being looked at as a middle school in our area because of the overcrowding issues at Heritage Middle, Page Middle and Spring Station, is this true? If not, how does Dr. Looney plan to address these overcrowding issues, as it seems to have been a problem for many years. Winstead has been at less than capacity for years after its rezoning and now Oak View Elementary is taking the biggest hit in the area. Also, I am curious as to why two subdivisions (Stream Valley and Berry Farms) that are zoned as Franklin City, on their water and trash pick-up routes, are attending Williamson COUNTY schools?

The Board will be discussing Oak View and Winstead Elementary over the next few months, including the possibility of moving part of Oak View’s zone to Winstead. Also, we are in the planning stages of establishing a new elementary and middle school in the Thompson’s Station/north Spring Hill area to address growth in the southern part of the county.

To answer the second part of your question, Stream Valley and Ladd Park may be located in the City of Franklin, but they are not inside the boundaries of the Franklin Special School District.

I’m unhappy with some of the things going on at my child’s school. How can I contact my School Board representative to let them know about it?

Email addresses for each School Board representative are available online; however we recommend working up the chain of command. For instance, if a parent has a problem with a teacher, the parent should first address it with the teacher, and if the issue is not resolved, the parent should turn to the principal. The next step would be to contact the assistant superintendent of elementary or secondary education and then the superintendent.

If you are still not satisfied with the answer you receive from the superintendent or if your complaint has not been resolved, you could then contact your School Board representative.

Chain of Command
Teacher –> Principal –> Assistant Superintendent –> Superintendent –> Board of Education