School Board Meets, Requests Prayers for Warren Family

The Wayne County School Board met in regular session on Thursday, October 8, 2026, at the Central Office at 5:30 p.m. Board members in attendance were Chairman Charity Horton, Vice Chairman Camryn Eaton, Amanda Van Fleet, Drew Turman, Deborah Brown, and Chelsea Prince. Dr. Ricky Inman, Director of Schools, was present as well, along with Student Representative Nate Bevis from Wayne County High School. Board member Mark Staggs was absent.

Chairman Horton called the meeting to order and opened with a moment of silence, the Pledge of Allegiance, and declaration of a quorum. The Chairman then asked for consideration of the consent items. The agenda, the September meeting minutes, and the September ledger of accounts were all approved.

Under old business on the agenda, the board discussed the nepotism policy. Amanda Van Fleet asked if the board is legally required to have a nepotism policy, and Dr. Inman confirmed that they are. Dr. Inman had previously contacted TSBA for clarification. The board unanimously voted to approve the nepotism policy as presented.

The first item of new business on the agenda was Policy Review-Board Operations (1.500-1.900). Following a review of the policies, Dr. Inman stated he had no recommended changes. No action was required by the board.

One overnight trip was on the agenda for board approval, a CHS Beta Club trip to the State Convention, November 19-21. The board unanimously approved the trip.

School bus bids were next. Dr. Inman said bids were received from both National Bus Sales and American Bus Sales, with American Bus Sales having the lowest bid for a 2017, 41-passenger small bus with 39,000 miles at a cost of $51,675. The board unanimously agreed on roll call vote to purchase the bus at the low bid from American Bus Sales.

Various line-item budget amendments were next on the agenda, with items moving from one line to another in the budget and involving no “new money.” The budget amendments were unanimously approved on roll call vote.

The final item of new business listed on the agenda was the Collinwood Water Tower. The City of Collinwood previously inquired about locating a new water storage tower for the city behind CHS, but the CHS campus was determined not to be feasible for what they would need.

Nate Bevis, WCHS Student Representative, next shared highlights from the first quarter of the school year, including updates on attendance numbers, the cookie dough fundraiser, academic performance and upcoming ACT retakes.

In other business, Amanda Van Fleet noted concerns that CHS and WCHS do not have athletic trainers on the sidelines, whereas other schools in the area do. An estimated cost of approximately $10,000 was discussed. WCHS Principal Ryan Franks mentioned conversations with Tennessee Orthopedic Alliance (TOA), expressing belief that they may be willing to assist next year depending on TOA scheduling, with per diem options as a possibility. The board discussed that CHS needs to be researching options as well, and that coverage is not a sure thing at this point.

Lastly, Dr. Inman stressed the importance of keeping the Warren family in prayer. Two children and their grandfather tragically lost their lives in a house fire, and another child was seriously injured.

With no further business to come before the board, the meeting was adjourned.