VOL. 56 NO. 4
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FIRST WORDS
Reform elder law now By Shannon Carey All my fellow Gen X’ers, Millennials and younger, give me your attention. You guys, we are so not ready for the Silver Tsunami. If you’ve not heard, that’s the going name for the tidal wave of elderly Andrea Kline folks needing care that’s expected as the Baby Boomers – our parents and grandparents – age. I heard Assistant District Attorney Andrea Kline speak about elder abuse last week, and the statistics she quoted are staggering. Age 85 and over is the fastest-growing segment of the U.S. population. By 2050, 19.8 million will be over 85. Half will have some kind of dementia. Kline said Tennessee’s laws about elder abuse, her specialty within Knox County District Attorney Charme Allen’s office, are outdated, making it difficult to prosecute those who prey on the elderly. Written in the 1970s, those laws were cutting-edge at the time, but they need a reboot. She said, and I agree, “It’s time for a change, and the time is now.” More statistics: 47 percent of elders will suffer abuse by their caregivers, and only one in 19 of those cases will be reported. Examples include physical abuse, neglect and financial exploitation. The stories will break your heart, like the one Kline shared about an unnamed 90-yearold woman who was left in a bathtub for four days by her “caregiver” son with nothing but a Honeybun and a yogurt to sustain her. Shocking? “Things like that happen all the time,” said Kline. She receives between five and 20 referrals a day, although she does not prosecute them all. She, along with Knoxville and Knox County To page A-3
Beaver Creek
Kayaks and canoes on Beaver Creek, along with debris removal, could reduce flooding while providing outdoor recreation. The East Tennessee Community Design Center is drafting a plan for a put-in in Halls, probably at Clayton Park, and a takeout in Powell, possibly at Powell Station Park. ➤ Story on A-3
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January 25, 2017
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Stooksbury is ‘true Powell Panther’ By Ruth White Powell High School paused during halftime of a recent home game to recognize and thank Larry Stooksbury for his contributions to the PHS basketball program. Stooksbury was called “a true Powell Panther” and his varsity basketball achievements were recognized, beginning in 1962 when, as a sophomore, he started all 33 games, helped the team to 27 wins and only six loses and averaged 10 points and 11 rebounds per game. As a junior, he was named team captain and his team was the KIL A-Division champions. The team record was 27-4 and Stooksbury started all 31. His senior year, Stooksbury was again team captain, started all 28 games and helped his team earn a 20-8 record. He averaged 22 points and 19 rebounds per game. He was a unanimous first team All-KIL “A” division pick, selected to All District 6 tournament, first team All East Tennessee, All-State team selection and received a four-year basketball scholarship at Tennessee Tech. Other notable high school highlights include senior class president, voted most athletic,
Powell High principal Dr. Chad Smith recognizes former PHS basketball player Larry Stooksbury during halftime of a recent game. Stooksbury is joined by his wife, Cathy, family members and athletic director Chad Smith at center court. His jersey, #40, was retired during the event. Photo by Ruth White PHS all-time career leader in regional weeklong Fellowship of Panther athletics. total rebounds (1,391) and was Christian Athletes camp. He was surrounded by his famselected by the school adminLarry Stooksbury has been ily and greeted by tons of friends istration as representative to a called a loyal fan and friend to all during the event.
2 seek fairness in school rezoning By Betty Bean From Farragut to Gibbs, from South Knoxville to Hardin Valley, the Butlers have sat in school auditoriums listening to the concerns of parents and community members who are bracing themselves for a massive middle school rezoning. What the Rev. John and the Rev. Donna Butler (they are both ordained ministers) say they want in their own communities is pretty much the same as what other communities want: State-of-the-art neighborhood schools, a 21st century curriculum, first-rate teachers and administrators who represent their community. “Our communities are not all black, so we don’t expect all black teachers,” John Butler said. “But we do want a good representation of what our community looks like. And we also would have liked for the school board, before they made decisions, to have included the whole community and formulated a plan before they made the decision for the benefit
of a specific population only.” He is the pastor of Clinton Chapel AME Zion Church in Mechanicsville, but it was in his capacity as president of the Knoxville Chapter of the NAACP that he filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights over possible violations surrounding the decision to build a new Gibbs Middle School. The OCR is investigating why Knox County proceeded with construction of the school despite spending $75,000 on a study in 2015 that concluded that no new middle schools were needed in Knox County. The office is looking at maps of attendance zones, records of current and projected enrollments, breakdown of enrollments by race, records of communications among county officials – including the mayor and his staff; notes and DVDs of meetings where school construction was discussed, and copies of media coverage and criteria and software used for drawing district lines. “I just wish the County Commission would have waited for the OCR concern to be in-
vestigated (before voting the funding for Gibbs Middle School),” said Donna Butler. “It proved to me that they had their minds made up without waiting for the data, and that they selfishly made a decision to go ahead with the new school. It’s a continuing slap in the face of the African-American community, and if we’re going to build these bridges and have diversified schools, it’s going to have to start with those who have the authority.” What the Butlers do not want to see is the closing of either Holston or Vine Middle Schools in order to fill the new school in Gibbs. “Now, in the rezoning process, we want what the other communities want – neighborhood schools. And that includes Vine and that includes Sarah Moore Greene. And that includes Beaumont and Maynard and Lonsdale – all the communities where minority children, after elementary school, have to get on buses and go to school in other people’s communities for the rest of their time in pubTo page A-3
Here’s a thought: Ask a teacher By Lauren Hopson
Kids need to be kids. Children don’t have enough time just to play anymore. These are statements heard regularly from teachers and parents alike. Recess times have gotten whittled down from 30 minutes to 15 in many schools across the state. Some schools don’t offer recess on days that Hopson students have physical education class. Teachers are starting to use all kinds of gadgets from exercise balls to pedal desks and fidget toys, just to give students an outlet for their boundless energy. Knee deep in good intentions, our friendly local legislators jumped in to save the day! This past fall, a new Tennessee law went into effect that altered the structure of the school day. It mandated additional time for public school students to engage in unstructured physical activity, otherwise known as recess. I imagine the sponsors of this bill were reacting to data about the health of our children and outcries from con-
cerned parents and teachers. In theory, if kids need more exercise, then let’s give it to them. While we were watching harmful bills that would drain funds from public education by funding charter schools and voucher programs, this seemingly helpful one snuck up on us. It came as a great surprise to administrators who were suddenly tasked with fitting in additional periods of recess between 90-minute math and reading blocks, lunchtimes, related arts classes and intervention schedules. Bad weather, limited playground space and seven-hour days became issues. A couple extra 15-minute breaks per day may not seem like a big deal until you are faced with the nonexistent sense of urgency of a 7-year-old who needs to find his coat, go to the bathroom, get a drink of water and then play in the water fountain on the way to the playground door. Many of them will probably need to do that again on the way back to the classroom. That is what 7-year-olds do. Happily, Rep. Bill Dunn was quick to recognize the problems and introduced a bill this year to repeal the previous legislation. While
teachers are thankful that they may have a more workable schedule next year, many are wary that taking away all time requirements may allow districts to skimp on recess again. If physical activity is so important, why on earth would school systems do this? The answer lies in our obsession with feeding the testing beast. As long as test scores are used inappropriately to judge schools, administrators and educators, districts are going to be tempted to use every possible minute for instruction of subjects that can be assessed by TN Ready. Last I checked, recess is not a tested subject, but apparently, you can do math and sit on a bouncy ball at the same time. The lesson to be learned here is that crafting legislation should always involve asking the experts. Healthcare workers should be consulted on medical legislation. Safety policies should be crafted with input from the police. Maybe we should also ask teachers how legislation will actually translate to the classroom. Lauren Hopson is president of the Knox County Education Association and a mom.
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