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Everyone in the packed gallery had said their piece.

First, in a marathon citizen input portion of the Jefferson County School Board Work Session.

Then, in another hours-long citizen input portion of the School Board’s business session.

By the time Carrie Trent, supervisor of student support, stepped to the microphone, the combined school board meeting was into its fifth hour Tuesday night at the Historic Jefferson County Courthouse in Dandridge.

What she confirmed had been lightly discussed earlier but she laid out the details in sharp clarity.

An Allied Behavioral Health Services therapist had thwarted a possibly imminent school shooting in Jefferson County.

The child had a plan.

The child had multiple targets.

The child had access to a weapon.

The child had one other thing that made all the difference: a connection with the therapist contracted to work out of the school.

When the student told the therapist, action took place to get the child help and to ensure the safety of the other students in school.

Shortly after the revelation by Trent, the school board voted 7-0 to allow Allied Behaviorial Health Services to finish out its contract providing in-school therapy services.

ABHS had come under fire following posts on Allied’s social media channels as well as on Allied’s website and job postings that left some calling for immediate termination of the Allied contract and others calling for the school board to end the relationship with Allied when the contract runs at the end of June.

The concern? That Allied’s open support of the LGBTQ+ community was an indication of a hidden agenda. The overriding theme of those speaking against Allied was that mental health care is needed in Jefferson County Schools but Allied did not conform with “traditional values” or Jefferson County values.

“I believe in mental health services,” Jeb Pickering said, referring to the company’s alleged trans agenda. “I don’t want Allied… (they) probably discuss values that are not the norm.”

Others spoke about grooming and the “homosexual agenda” and the harm they feared might happen to students behind closed doors in private therapy sessions.

Sharon Cummings spoke of the society as a whole “spinning with confusion of sex and gender and morality.”

But while there were many who spoke in opposition to Allied, none of those who spoke indicated a personal connection or complaint.

On the other hand, dozens of students, parents, teachers and staff spoke – all of whom had first hand experience working with Allied and its therapists. To a person, they asked the school board to retain Allied’s services and sang the praises of the work being done.

Brave students stepped forward and talked – in front of the massive crowd – about their battles with depression, anxiety, anorexia and even suicidal thoughts.

Parents stepped forward and discussed the difference Allied had made in their lives.

Ian O’Conner was one of those parents.

He spoke of a year and a half long battle one of his children has waged with crippling anxiety. He described going to multiple outside therapy organizations but none were the right fit.

“To see your child not be able to enjoy being a child…,” he said, adding they were looking for the right fit. “We found it (with Allied) and it’s been tremendously successful.

“Their purpose is not to change our children. They’re giving them the tools to be successful … to be happy kids.

“Having that relationship taken away would really be harmful.”

Alison Peak, executive director of Allied Health, twice addressed the board – once in each session. She answered questions and tried to dispel rumours and ease concerns.

In response to questions from School Board member Maurice Solomon, she said ABHS answers to at least seven agencies that oversee its work. She stressed that therapy does not start without the consent and involvement of a parent or guardian – a fact comfirmed by multiple parents who spoke throughout the night.

“We do not speak to a student before a parent has signed multiple papers of consent,” she said. “Parents know what the goals are.’’

She also told the board that while the contract is for 10 therapists, Allied provides 12 because they are needed.

She admitted that the companies’ social media team could have been more judicious in selecting its posts, but added that after the complaints, they reviewed the posts and took them down.

Several ABHS opponents indicated there were still some up on the ABHS Instagram account as well as a “Gender Uniform” graphic used to explain gender fluidity.

“ABHS does not discriminate,” Peak explained. “We see everybody who comes to the doors.”

Multiple teachers and administrators said they’d never had a parent complaint about ABHS’ services and that ABHS performs services that teachers cannot.

Dr. Scott Milligan – who teaches at Maury Middle School – said the therapist at his school provides crucial care – only after they get permission from the parent.

“She not indoctrinating students or pushing an agenda. She’s someone who will advocate for them,” he said.

On the issue of pursuing other providers, several adminstrators noted no one else bid for services. One local provider that was suggested had previously had a relationship with the system to provide services on a more limited basis than what Allied provides but broke away from that in 2018.

Another suggested provider has a state grant to provide one therapist to the school system. However, that therapist left the job a couple of months ago and the provider has not been able to find a replacement. In the meantime, that provider is referring students to Allied.

One of the board members asked Peak what would happen if the contract was terminated. She said her 12 therapists would meet Wednesday morning in a room and begin calling families and discussing their options.

“495 families and children will immediately lose services,” she said, adding that many families would be unable to handle the financial burden of therapy. “Some families will be able to figure it out. Some won’t.”

Solomon asked if Allied would be amenable to a specific clause that would prohibit them from “pushing” the LGBTQ+ agenda,

Peak said the company wants to be good partners and good friends and would welcome the conversation.

She also stressed that as therapists, they don’t make medical decisions or recommendations.

In the end, the arguments for Allied were won out – at least in the short term.

School Board member Danny Martin said he’d been persuaded.

“When I came up here, I was gonna make a completely different motion,” he said.

Fellow Board member Nancy Zander got emotional talking about the bravery of the students to openly discuss their battles in public.

“Mental health is real. When we were in school we didn’t have any of this stuff. We didn’t have to worry about school shootings,” she said. “What our kids need is some help.”

Board member Maurice Solomon made the motion to allow Allied to finish its contract, a motion that eventually passed 7-0. But he also made it clear he wants the school system to develop a clause to make sure Allied doesn’t push LGBTQ+ issues and does not use the Gender Unicorn graphic.

While the five hour combined meetings were almost entirely devoted to the Allied issue, the discussion isn’t finished.

The future of mental health services in the system will be on the agenda again next month, at the request of member Doug Ibbetson who had tried to attach an amendment to Solomon’s motion.

Ibbetson requested that the school board actively solicit competitors and that the school board handle the interview and selection process when Allied’s current contract is up. That motion was ruled out of order because it was not on the agenda, just the Allied contract. Ibbeston agreed to have it placed on the May agenda.

The Allied contract wasn’t the only major item on the agenda.

The school’s elementary and middle school math curriculum – in partnership with I-Ready – had drawn the ire of some of the night’s speakers. However, several math teachers spoke in favor of the curriculum and the High School Math Textbook providing favorable statistics that indicated the curriculum was working well.

Both the curriculum and the textbook were approved with 7-0 votes.

With all of the major business done, there was one last matter to settle as the more than five-hour dual sessions drew to a close.

Solomon leaned over to Director of Schools Tommy Arnold and asked for a ride home, throwing a look back over his shoulder.

“My wife already went home,” he said quietly.