Dear Hawkins County Schools Families and Community,

As the days grow longer and we finally begin to welcome the warmer spring weather, I am excited to share our third newsletter of the year with you! With the finish line of the school year slowly coming into view, our focus across the district remains steadfastly on academics. Our students, teachers, and staff are working incredibly hard to master their end-of-year goals, prepare for upcoming assessments, and ensure we finish this academic marathon as strong as we started. Thank you for your continued partnership and support as we head into these final, busy months of the school year.

🌟Let's hear it for the students, staff, and families at Mooresburg Elementary School! Through hard work, dedication, and relationship-building, they have achieved a stunning reduction in chronic absenteeism. In just two years, they have dropped their rate from 28% to an impressive 8%. This is a tremendous accomplishment and a testament to their commitment to student success!

During the recent board meeting, we had the privilege of recognizing Bulls Gap students Porter and Ella Drinnon for their outstanding achievement of placing in the top five in the state for Beta Club! The board also reviewed a community proposal regarding the potential use of Clinch School property to house a water storage building for local fire emergencies. In official business, the board approved Policy 6.312, which updates district guidelines on the use of personal communication and electronic devices. Looking ahead, please mark your calendars for March 10; the board will hold a budget workshop at 5:00 PM, followed immediately by the regular monthly board meeting at 6:00 PM.

Hear ye, hear ye! We want to extend a heartfelt thank you to our community for helping us celebrate Principal Appreciation Day on Wednesday, February 5. It was a privilege to honor the brave "Knights" of our district—our Principals, Assistant Principals, Associate Principals, and Deans of Students. We deeply appreciated everyone who took the time to send notes of gratitude, recognizing these leaders for how they protect, lead, and champion our students every day. Thank you for supporting the dedicated champions of our kingdom!

Get ready for a covert operation of appreciation! On March 5, 2026, our district will observe Special Area Teachers Appreciation Day to honor the "undercover heroes" of our schools—our art, music, physical education, and technology teachers, alongside our speech instructors, counselors, and librarians. Through this year's spy-themed "Mission: Appreciation," students will act as junior agents completing top-secret missions to recognize the behind-the-scenes impact these educators have on student well-being. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to join our students in making this day truly unforgettable for these essential team members!

As we navigate the final stretch of winter—and the unexpected weather it has brought our way—I want to take a moment to thank you for your continued patience, support, and partnership. In this month's update, we have some important information to share regarding upcoming community meetings, our district calendar, and exciting celebrations of student attendance. We also have a few updates on state legislative actions and our ongoing work to strengthen our Career and Technical Education programs. Please take a few moments to read through the latest news below. As always, thank you for being such an integral part of our students' success!

Community Meetings and Budget

We always value the input of our community, and right now, our school board is looking for your thoughts on a recent proposal. The Clinch Volunteer Fire Department has proposed utilizing a portion of the Clinch School property to house a fire vehicle and water storage. We discussed this plan on Thursday, February 26, at 4:30 PM in the board room. Additionally, please mark your calendars for our next budget development workshop on March 10 at 6:00 PM in the Training Center, where the board will address our upcoming priorities and future general-purpose funding.

Weather, Calendar, and Attendance Celebrations

This winter has certainly kept us on our toes! As it stands, our district has just one inclement weather stockpile day remaining out of our total allotment of eleven, and Clinch School has used all of their allotted days. If we happen to exhaust these days, rest assured that we have the ability to request a waiver for the four days used under the Governor's State of Emergency declaration. Looking ahead to our calendar, district committees are actively working to finalize schedules that propose an early release on Wednesdays to provide our staff with a one-hour built-in collaboration time. On a highly celebratory note, we are so incredibly proud of Mooresburg Elementary! They have successfully reduced their chronic absenteeism rate from over 28% two years ago down to an impressive 8%.

Legislative and Academic Updates

We are keeping a close eye on the state level, where several bills are currently being discussed that could impact our local schools. These include potential changes to physical education laws and new regulations regarding digital devices in classrooms. Families and community members who wish to stay informed can monitor these bills using the General Assembly bill tracker at https://wapp.capitol.tn.gov/apps/billsearch/BillSearchAdvanced. Closer to home, we are excited to share that district leaders are partnering with ETSU, TCAT, and local industry leaders. Together, we are working to evaluate and align our Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs with regional workforce needs to best prepare our students for the future.