The Knox County Board of Education approved a revised senior-classification policy (I330) after a contested vote that registered seven yes votes, one no and one pass.

A motion to approve first reading was made by Miss Christie and seconded by Mister Triplett. Reverend Butler spoke against the measure, saying the policy "hasn't gone all the way" to remove competition based on class rank and argued for classification by GPA buckets where students compete against their own GPA rather than against one another.

Reverend Butler said he would not vote for the item because he believed the policy retained competitive elements and did not fully resolve concerns about how students are positioned for honors or classification. "If we're going to say that you are being measured for classification, it would be based on whatever GPA that is determined," he said, and urged a system that avoids direct class competition.

Miss Templeton asked Butler to clarify whether he favored GPA buckets rather than valedictorian-style ranking; Butler said his preference was for GPA-based buckets. The board then took a roll-call vote: Doctor Butler voted no; Miss Templeton, Miss Fontenot Ridley, Miss Morgan, Mister Triplett, Mister Wright and others registered yes votes; one trustee recorded a pass. The clerk recorded the tally as seven yes, one no and one pass, and the motion carried.

The vote advances the policy from first reading; the board did not record any amendment that changed the policy language during the discussion.