The school is on the north portion of Clinch Mountain,[1] on what Gregory Leaming of The Kingsport Times-News described as the "far side".
A group of parents opposed this due to school transportation taking mountain roads, with a 20 miles (32 km) per direction.
[1] The bus route was to go around Clinch Mountain, to the point where the duration of the trip would exceed the requirement in state law that bus rides may only be 1.5 hours long.
The principal and teachers quoted in a WBIR-TV article supported the change.
[7] In February 2020 the board of trustees expressed support for continuing the arrangement.