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The Claiborne County Board of Education approved a collaboration between the Tazewell Timberwolves Youth League Football and Midway Elementary, Springdale Elementary and Soldiers Memorial Middle School for 7th and 8th grade football during their meeting last week.

The agreement has multiple options for how the program would operate.

“Option one reads that Little League takes ownership of middle school football, but the director of football for TMSAA and TSSAA makes it clear that if we make it a non-school program we lose catastrophic insurance for those kids,” Claiborne Athletic Director Andrew McGinnis said. “Under options two, three and four everything remains the same.”

In options two and three, the middle school football game will move from  being played at Claiborne High School back to R.O. GIles Field where the TImberwolves play.

“We’re asking your thoughts on us being able to work with Little League at that field to continue the middle school program under the momentum that Little League is bringing in with our youth to help revitalize football all the way up the high school level,” McGinnis said.

He explained that if they went with option one opposing school would have to get permission from TMSAA to play a non-school program, but the other options would leave the team as Claiborne Middle School and SMMS would continue to be the host school.

“That would leave everything the same according to the state level with insurance and everything, we would just move the playing from the high school to R.O. Giles Field and collaborate with Little League and build with them,” McGinnis said.

Board member Shane Bunch added that a representative from SMMS be included along with representatives from the high school and the Timberwolves.

“That way they know what’s going on since SMMS is going to keep the name,” he said.

McGinnis said he had reached out to people to help.

“I don’t know how the elementary or middle schools feel about working games. Under option number three we’re willing to take care of it,” he said. “Barry Liles has agreed that he would do game administration duties, Coach Lee has agreed to do game administration duties. I’ll go and do those duties — we’ll make sure that it operates in the same sense that when we collect tickets and gate we take it back to the high school where our finances are currently held and make sure all of the funding is appropriate.”

A decision on whether to provide $5,000 in funding for equipment and consumable supplies to the 7th and 8th grade football team that serves the Tazewell area and an equal donation to the 7th and 8th grade football team that serves the Cumberland Gap area was tabled until later after a motion by School Board Member Dan Pearman.

“I have questions about giving $5,000 to middle school football and not taking care of soccer, volleyball and others that will be asking for money at the same time. Don’t get me wrong, I’m in favor of it, I just want to be sure we’re where we can handle this when all the others come wanting their money,” he said.

A request from Adam Barton to expand the concession stand at R.O. Giles Field with the assistance of students in the county’s CTE program was also approved on Thursday.

In a separate matter, the board voted to establish a Claiborne Elite Fitness Day on either May 15 or 22 and donated $2,000 for the event. “This program would bring attention to and involve a select group of students across the county in all of our schools,” Director of Schools Meredith Arnold said.

Springdale Principal LaToya Combs informed the board that the school will be having their gym floor renovated during the summer starting on June 9 and expected to be completed by June 25. “We reached out to our community stakeholders and local businesses and as of right now we have commitments to cover the full cost of the project,” she said.

Repairs were approved for the tennis court at Claiborne High. Arnold said that the condition of the courts was such that opposing teams could choose not to play on them and cause the Bulldog tennis teams to forfeit home matches.

In other business, the board approved a policy addition to include progressive tobacco intervention procedures in grades 6-12 with tiered disciplinary action for all offenses.

“There is a fee associated with that, there is Saturday time, there is community service work, things of that nature,” Arnold said. “This would be attached to our policy 1.803 and we will follow those intervention procedures.”

The board was also treated to UTrust presentations from students with the G-Force team from Soldiers Memorial Middle School who recognized their school’s cafeteria workers with a special “You’re the Best” dance to the tune of “Do the Twist.” Springdale students Ella Buchanan, Jacob Buchanan and Caroline Cupp shared how their school recognized Special Area teachers with Cupp leading a question and answer session with all of the board members. Midway students Collin Massengill and Ella Worley gave a presentation on how their school recognized special areas staff.

The board voted to grant tenure to Claiborne High School teacher John Williams. Others recognized for receiving tenure included Kim Honeycutt from Springdale Elementary, Dawnisha Faith Riley-Hatfield from Powell Valley Elementary, Deanda Shaver from Cumberland Gap High School, Anita Oney from the Department of Special Education and Merinda Pratt, Melinda Clonce and Brittany Keck from Midway Elementary.

The next board meeting will be April 10 at Forge Ridge.