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Parent Advisory Council Newsletter

Volume 1 Issue 1

Parent AdvisoryCouncil NewsletterVolume 1 Issue 1

Progress Update: Special Education Parent Forum

Since the Parent Forum at West High School last year, some examples of your voice being heard include:


· Hiring of a Parent Liaison, Ombudsman (Sue Ownby) Sue.Ownby@knoxschools.org


· Parent Advisory Board is developing and organizing trainings for parents both live and video based to reach larger audiences (IEP information, Advocacy, and related topics)


· Two Knox County Staff members have participated in Adverse Childhood Experiences or ACEs. The regional training was through the Tennessee Commission on Children and Youth (TCCY) Plans are being made to offer the training to teachers, aides, and service providers – (Trauma Sensitivity)


· Outreach Initiatives: Transition Fair – Planning, information, and services for life after high school. (Scheduled for April of 2017)


· Expansion of the Positive Behavior Intervention System (PBIS) Targeting positive choices (Steering and Oversite Committee – Disparities in Educational Outcomes Task Force) Pilot program has already been initiated.

Meet the Parent Liaison, Ombudsman

Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS) is a process for creating safer and more effective schools. It is a systems approach to enhancing the capacity of schools to educate all children by developing research-based, school-wide, and classroom behavior support systems. The process focuses on improving a school’s ability to teach and support positive behavior for all students. Rather than a prescribed program, PBIS includes school-wide procedures and processes intended for all students and all staff in all settings. PBIS is not a program or a curriculum. It is a team-based process for systemic problem solving, planning, and evaluation. It is an approach to creating a safe and productive learning environment where teachers can teach and all students can learn. Presently, Knox County schools has trained 34 schools to implement PBIS, with a goal to train all Knox County Schools by the 2019-2020 school year.

Let Your Voice Be Heard

There are openings on the Parent Advisory Board. Members agree to attend monthly meetings, advocate for parental concerns, and volunteer to assist in specific initiatives. In an attempt to have all districts within Knox County to be represented, there is a need for Parents or Caregivers that have students in the following areas:


District 4

Bearden Elementary

Northshore Elementary

Pond Gap Elementary

Rocky Hill Elementary

Sequoyah Elementary

West High

West Hills Elementary

Knoxville Adaptive Education Center


District 2

Bell Morris Elementary

Central High School

Christenberry Elementary

Fountain City Elementary

Fulton High

Gresham Middle

Inskip Elementary

Kelly Volunteer Academy

Richard Yoakly School

Shannondale Elementary

Sterchi Elementary

Whittle Springs Middle


District 8

Career Magnet Academy

Carter Elementary

Carter Middle

Carter High

Corryton Elementary

East Knox County Elementary

Gibbs Elementary

Gibbs High

Ritta Elementary

Sunnyview Primary


If you are interested in joining, contact Sue Ownby at parentadvisory@knoxcountyschools.org or call 865-594-9582