KNOX COUNTY, Tenn. — At the Oct. 2 public forum during the Knox County Board of Education regular session, three speakers urged the board to address student mental-health responses, accountability for school leadership, and potential state legislation that could deny undocumented children access to public education.

Lee Faul, a Knox County resident and parent, described a recent incident involving his 17‑year‑old daughter. He said school staff called the crisis center after she reported suicidal thoughts; he said the district’s intervention led to an involuntary hospitalization and that he later learned his daughter had been physically assaulted while held at a hospital. Faul called for additional local resources and changes to how schools and crisis services handle students who disclose suicidal thoughts, suggesting on-campus options that give students "a chance to reflect" and requesting more on‑site mental‑health availability.

A second speaker, who did not provide a full name on the record, said she had previously submitted public-records requests and described long-term concerns about an administrator who had worked in multiple schools. The commenter said the administrator’s behavior had harmed her family, described being denied accountability, and urged the board to acknowledge past mistakes in the district’s handling of that official.

Teacher Betsy Hobkirk, who identified herself as a Knox County teacher with about 14 years of service, asked the board to prepare how it would respond to similar bills if Tennessee legislators reintroduce measures such as proposed House Bill 793, which last session sought to deny certain undocumented children access to public education and proposed tuition for undocumented students. Hobkirk said the idea of denying any child an education is "unbelievable" and asked the board to consider in advance what its response would be should similar legislation resurface.

Context and board response: The board did not take action on the matters raised during public forum. A staff member later in the meeting explained how routine facility repair work orders are handled after a board member raised concerns about roof damage at Bearden Elementary following a recent localized storm; the staff member said work orders for leaks take top priority and are commonly addressed the same day.

Ending: Public‑forum remarks covered individual student safety, personnel accountability and the potential impact of state legislation on immigrant students. The board did not announce specific follow-up actions during the meeting for the public‑forum speakers; some items raised (facility repairs and public-records requests) involve established staff processes that the district said it would follow.