All research requests submitted by higher education students or external agencies involving Blount County Schools (BCS) students, staff, or data are critiqued against the following district standards.
1. Educational Value & District Impact
Projected Value: The proposal must clearly articulate a "projected value of the study to Blount County". Studies deemed to have little educational research value will be denied.
No Convenience Sampling: We do not approve studies that use Blount County Schools solely for convenience sampling. You must demonstrate why this specific population is necessary.
Instructional Time: Research must not interfere with instructional time, particularly when student responses are required.
Staff Burden: Proposals that place an "undue burden" on district personnel or resources will not be approved.
2. Strictly Prohibited Data Topics:
Per Board Policy 6.4001, the collection of student data regarding the following is strictly prohibited and will result in immediate rejection:
Political affiliation or voting history
Religious practices
Firearm ownership
3. Sensitive Topics & Parental Consent:
If your research involves any of the following topics, you must obtain written, informed, and voluntarily signed consent (Opt-In) from parents:
Mental or psychological problems
Sexual behavior or attitudes
Illegal, anti-social, self-incriminating, or demeaning behavior
Income (other than for program eligibility)
Critical appraisals of close family members
4. Mandatory Proposal Elements:
To pass the initial screening, your documents must include:
A written and signed statement indicating that you have read, understand, and agree to abide by Blount County School Board Policy 6.4001.
A statement on all instruments (surveys/questionnaires) indicating that participation is voluntary.
Confirmation that parent(s)/guardian(s) have the right to inspect any survey materials or instruments upon request.
Assurance that all data will be kept confidential and anonymity will be maintained for students, teachers, schools, and the system in any publication.
Please include your last name, institution, and calendar year in your file-naming for screening and district evaluation:
Lastname_Institution_Proposal_Year.pdf (ex. Whitehead-Smith_MaryvilleCollege_Proposal_2026.pdf)
Lastname_Institution_Instruments_Year.pdf (ex. McCollum_UTK_Instruments_2026.pdf)
Feel free to copy/paste from the items above to use as a file-naming template.