Oak Ridge Today

School staff not allowed to carry guns

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Oak Ridge Schools will not allow teachers and other staff members to carry guns in buildings, Superintendent Bruce Borchers said Wednesday. Borchers made the announcement in a notice sent to school families.

His announcement came the day after the Tennessee House of Representatives passed legislation to allow some trained teachers and school staff to carry handguns. Republicans approved the bill in a 68-28 vote despite pleas from Democrats, students, and gun-reform advocates, The Tennessean reported.

“Yesterday, Tennessee lawmakers passed a bill that would allow teachers and other staff members to carry concealed handguns on school campuses should a school district decide to allow it,” Borchers said. “If Governor (Bill) Lee signs the legislation allowing concealed firearms in schools into law, Oak Ridge Schools will not allow teachers or school staff to carry firearms in our buildings. The safety of our students and staff is our top priority, and it is our core belief that our ongoing safety initiatives have a greater positive impact on our overall safety than arming staff would.”

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Borchers to discuss schools on Tuesday

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Bruce Borchers
Bruce Borchers

Oak Ridge Schools Superintendent Bruce Borchers will discuss the state of the schools during a lunchtime meeting on Tuesday.

The presentation will be hosted by the League of Women Voters of Oak Ridge. The Lunch with the League is scheduled from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesday, April 16, at the Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church at 809 Oak Ridge Turnpike.

“All are welcome to bring their lunch or purchase a boxed lunch for a nominal fee,” a press release said. “Coffee and tea will be served. The presentation will begin at noon.”

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Winter weather: Closings, cancellations, delays

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Photos courtesy Oak Ridge Schools/ Isaac Walton, transportation supervisor, and Allen Thacker, supervisor of maintenance and operations

Oak Ridge Schools will be closed again on Monday due to unsafe road conditions, and City of Oak Ridge offices will open three hours late.

The schools were closed four days after the holiday last week due to the winter weather, as were many other schools, offices, and businesses. Some roads were also briefly closed. The winter weather has included more than eight inches of snow, freezing temperatures, below-zero wind chills, and slippery roads and sidewalks.

On Sunday, the Oak Ridge Police Department and City of Oak Ridge said many roadways were still very icy despite being treated and plowed.

“Conditions are expected to worsen once the sun goes down,” they said. “Stay home, if possible.”

The schools said temperatures are projected to warm on Monday.

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Schools closed Wednesday

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Snow falls at Oak Ridge High School on Monday, Jan. 15, 2024. Oak Ridge Schools announced they will be closed Tuesday. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

Oak Ridge Schools will be closed again on Wednesday due to the winter weather.

The school system had been closed Tuesday as well due to the weather.

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Oak Ridge Schools closed Tuesday

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Snow falls at Oak Ridge High School on Monday, Jan. 15, 2024. Oak Ridge Schools announced they will be closed Tuesday. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

Oak Ridge Schools are closed Tuesday due to winter weather.

“Please stay warm and safe!” a press release said.

Roads, schools, businesses closed after heavy snow

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A snowplow works around Methodist Medical Center on Oak Ridge Turnpike during heavy snow on Monday, Jan. 15, 2024. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

Roads, schools, and businesses closed as snow fell for hours in Oak Ridge. The snow began about 8:30 p.m. Sunday, and snow continued to fall at about 6 p.m. Monday.

Oak Ridge Today measured almost seven inches of snow at about 5 p.m. Monday. The National Weather Service in Morristown had forecast between four to six and six to eight inches of snow in the Oak Ridge and Clinton areas.

“Very cold air is moving in across the region with sub-freezing temperatures continuing through Thursday,” the National Weather Service said. “Temperatures Tuesday night will be around zero!”

Roads, even main streets like Oak Ridge Turnpike, had a thick layer of snow on them, with a wet, slippery surface underneath. Traffic was light when normally it would be heavy, and most drivers drove slowly and cautiously, with some turning on their hazard lights.

“With significant snow accumulations across much of the area and very cold temperatures, hazardous travel conditions may develop,” the NWS said. “Avoid travel, but if you must, use caution.”

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Superintendent to discuss ‘State of Oak Ridge Schools’

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Oak Ridge Schools Superintendent Bruce Borchers will speak about the “State of Oak Ridge Schools” at Lunch with the League on Tuesday, April 18.

The program is open to the community and will be held from 12-1 p.m. at Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church at 809 Oak Ridge Turnpike in Oak Ridge. A meet and greet will begin at 11:30 a.m. [Read more…]

Schools publish number of open seats per school

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Oak Ridge Schools has published the number of open seats available in each grade at elementary and middle schools for students who are interested in cross-boundary and out-of-district tuition enrollment.

The number of open seats ranges from zero to eight, depending upon the school and grade. Numbers are subject to change based on new families moving into the district, according to Oak Ridge Schools.

The open enrollment numbers for the 2023-2024 school year are available on this school district website page: Enrollment Information for 2023-2024 – Oak Ridge Schools (ortn.edu).

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Wildcats name new football coach

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Image by Oak Ridge Schools

Oak Ridge football has a new coach, Derek Rang.

Rang has an overall head coaching record of 86-29 at Powell, Dresden, Gatlinburg-Pittman, and Lewis County High Schools, and he coached the Dresden Lions when they won the 2016 state championship, according to Oak Ridge Schools.

5Star Preps reported that Rang, 28, resigned after one season at Lewis in west Tennessee, where he had an 11-2 record in 2022.

Oak Ridge Schools said each school coached by Rang has advanced to the TSSAA playoff quarterfinals or beyond, and Rang has won 18 postseason games as a head coach.

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OR Schools names teachers, TA, principal of the year

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Oak Ridge Schools has named its teachers of the year, teaching assistant of the year, and principal of the year.

The Teacher of the Year program recognizes and honors outstanding teachers in Tennessee, a press release said.

“The Tennessee Department of Education staff applauds teachers who care about children, who devote their professional lives to enriching the lives of Tennessee students, and who demonstrate exceptional gains in student achievement,” the press release said.

In Oak Ridge, teacher candidates are sought from each school in the district.

Here are the district-level winners, who were nominated by their peers. The information was written in the staff members’ own words and excerpted from their full applications. The narratives provide a window into each staff member’s authenticity and commitment to Oak Ridge students, the press release said.

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Borchers to present State of Schools

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Bruce Borchers
Bruce Borchers

Oak Ridge Schools Superintendent Bruce Borchers will present his State of the Schools at Lunch with the League on Tuesday, February 1.

During the annual talks, Borchers gives an overview of what is happening in Oak Ridge Schools.

“Between the unusual events at the high school in December and groundbreaking of the state-of-the-art Ben Martin Track, Dr. Borchers will undoubtedly have much to share,” a press release said.

Lunch with the League is organized by League of Women Voters of Oak Ridge.

Borchers started his education career as an elementary physical education teacher in the Sioux City (Iowa) Community School District. He also worked as an interim assistant principal and guidance counselor in Iowa City, Iowa; as assistant principal and principal in Mankato, Minnesota; and as associate superintendent of secondary schools for the Anoka-Hennepin (Minnesota) School District. Prior to joining the Oak Ridge Schools, Borchers was the superintendent of the Rockwood School District from 2010 to 2013.

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Many schools closed due to illness

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A graph of COVID-19 case counts in the Knoxville-Knox County region through Saturday, Jan. 15, 2022, by the Tennessee Department of Health.

Many schools in the area are closed this week due to illness, but Oak Ridge Schools have remained open.

Anderson County Schools were closed Wednesday and Thursday and will remain closed Friday “due to staffing concerns related to illness.”

Clinton City Schools were open Wednesday but closed Thursday, and they will remain closed Friday due to student illness.

Knox County Schools were also closed Wednesday and Thursday and will remain closed Friday “due to staffing challenges related to illness.” The school system cannot shift to virtual learning district-wide because of rules established by the Tennessee Board of Education, Knox County Schools Superintendent Bob Thomas said in a letter to families. But individual schools may have to switch to virtual learning in the next several weeks depending upon absences, and the district could submit waiver applications to the Tennessee Department of Education.

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