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By Buzz Trexler
Star Correspondent
“Report, but don’t repost.”
Elizabethton Director of Schools Richard VanHuss said during Thursday night’s regular school board that the directive was borrowed from another school system and he considered it a best practice when it comes to reporting threats of mass violence like those that occurred earlier this month.
The director stressed the importance of reporting suspicious behavior, or anything considered to be an issue. “We want people to report,” he said. “That’s critical for us to be able to do our jobs, as well as for law enforcement to be able to do their job. But what I would encourage individuals to do, if you have that information, we would ask that you report that in a responsible manner.”
VanHuss pointed out that students know the system has the STOPit app where they can make anonymous reports. Students can also contact a teacher or an administrator in their building, or call 911, the director said.
“What I would discourage people from doing is taking information that they get on social media and then reposting it because all that does is slow down our ability to come to some answers, gather information to make sure schools are safe,” VanHuss said.
“So, we stole this from Bristol (Tennessee City Schools). I’m giving them credit,” VanHuss said.
“What we want people to do is report, but don’t repost. That’s what we’re asking you to do.”
Student Recognitions
During the meeting, the school board recognized:
– four students who won the nationwide spring 2024 exhibition for the Story Experiential short-film competition. Payton King, Holly Holsclaw, Katie Hubbard, and Landon LaVoie competed against thousands of students from across the country and were one of three winners; and
– Mrs. Lisa Malone’s Spring 2024 Drawing 2 Class for the design of High School Programs mural at Northeast State Community College.
Teachers of the Year
The school board named the following as Teachers of the Year:
– Pre-kindergarten to fourth grade: Brittany Johnson, East Side Elementary (ESE); Jennifer Rickert, Harold McCormick Elementary (HME); and Rachel Ayers, West Side Elementary (WSE).

– Fifth grade to eighth grade: Walt Harper, HME; Libby Post, WSE; and Abigail Thacker, T.A. Dugger Junior High (TAD).
– Ninth to 12th grade: Ryan White, Elizabethton High School (EHS). Rickert and White were also named district-level winners.
Personnel Changes
The board approved the following new hires: Samuel Arendale, substitute teacher, effective Aug. 27; Angi Boone, educational assistant, TAD effective Sept. 3; Lindsay Bowles, substitute teacher, effective Aug. 13; Amber Brummitt, educational assistant, HME, effective Aug. 20; Chris Carr, bus driver, effective Aug. 27; Christina Crowe, substitute teacher, effective Aug. 21; Kelly Donnelly, substitute teacher, effective Aug. 29; Charlotte MacDonald, substitute cook, effective Aug. 16; Lynn Marsh, substitute teacher, effective Aug. 12; Dalton Mitchell, assistant
football coach, TAD, effective Aug. 19; Roberta Naholowaa, English language arts tutor, TAD, effective Aug. 26; Craig Newman, extended school program (ESP) student leader, effective Aug. 19; Stephanie Tolley, pre-kindergarten teacher, Wandell Early Learning Center (WELC), effective Aug. 13; Laura Kelley, Project On-Track math teacher, HME, Sept. 5; Stephanie Terrill, substitute teacher, effective Sept. 5; Linda Turner, substitute teacher, effective Sept. 9; Abigail
Carr, substitute teacher, effective Sept. 9; Farzana Farid, Project On-Track assistant, ESE, effective Sept. 6; and Marley Lindley, Project On-Track assistant, TAD, effective Sept 9.
The board approved the suspension of Craig Emmert, effective Sept. 3-5.
The board approved the following transfers: Melissa Andrews, from substitute cook to floating cook, effective Aug. 22; Carolyn Ayers, from part-time to full-time educational assistant, HME, effective Sept. 3; Abby Baker, from part-time to full-time educational assistant, TAD, effective Aug. 28; Alexis Bier, Tennessee All Corp (TNAC) assistant to Project On-Track teacher, WSE, effective Aug. 23; Debby Bradford, from substitute cook to part-time cook, TAD, effective Aug. 30; Barbara Burns, from cafeteria cook to cafeteria manager, TAD, effective Aug. 27; Carolyn Crowe, from educational assistant, WELC, to ESE, effective Aug. 23; Mikki Crowe, from part-time special education assistant to part-time Project On-Track math assistant, HME, effective Sept. 3; Wendy Kelley, from part-time to full-time cook, TAD, Aug. 27; Sarah King, from interim teacher, HME, to Project On-Track math teacher, ESE, effective Sept. 3; Megan Lane, from part-time educational assistant to TNAC assistant, WSE, effective Aug. 23; Robin Peterson,
from full-time educational assistant to full-time substitute teacher, HME, effective Sept 3; Jessica Ward, from full-time instructional assistant to Project On-Track math teacher, TAD, effective Sept. 3; Brittany Yancey, from educational assistant to substitute teacher, effective Aug. 26; Christina Crowe, from substitute teacher to Project On-Track assistant, WSE, effective Sept 10.
The board approved the following resignations: Cameron Coleman, assistant football coach, TAD, effective Aug. 13; Zachary Hartley, assistant football coach, TAD, effective Aug. 13; Jennifer Johnson, bus driver, effective Aug. 24; Skylar Kirkland, extended school program,
effective Aug. 13; and Kellie Miller, part-time SPED assistant, HME, effective Sept. 13; Savana Morgan, ESP student leader, effective Aug. 28; Haley Overbay, ESP student leader, effective Sept. 6; Julie Proffitt, educational assistant, TAD, effective Aug. 26; Makayla Rhymer, ESP
student leader, effective Aug. 21; Lenzi Rose, educational assistant, ESE, effective Sept. 9; Eric Shepard, maintenance, effective Sept. 9; Abbey Townsend, ESP student leader, effective Sept. 9; and Haygen Sigman, ESP student leader, effective Sept. 9.
The board approved the termination of Michelle Johnson, cafeteria manager, TAD, effective Aug. 20.
The board approved leaves of absence for Leanne Click, from Sept 10 to Oct. 11, and Janith Johnson, from Sept. 11 to Nov. 8.
The next regularly scheduled school board meeting will be held at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 17, in the Mack Pierce Board Room of the Elizabethton Board of Education, 804 S. Watauga Ave.