Residential Students

TSB has ten residential cottages, nine of which house up to 12 students and one which can house up to 20 students.  Eight cottages are sectioned into two groups of four (called ’quads’) and are separated from the school’s academic buildings by a large playground area. The remaining two cottages are located adjacent to the back of the blue roof academic building. Each cottage also has an adjoining efficiency-style apartment that is utilized for the ‘Semi-Independent Living Program’ for qualifying graduating seniors.

Cottages were designed with the needs of the visually impaired in mind. Nine of the ten cottages have identical floor plans, making cottage moves easy for students to navigate and map out. Each cottage has two short hallways, one on the left and one on the right, with each hallway having three bedrooms. Two bedrooms are connected through a joint bathroom facility and the third bedroom has a private bath. Each bedroom accommodates two students and is equipped with individual beds, dressers, closets, and desks. The cottages have a large communal living room area, kitchen and dining area, recreational room and large outdoor patio.  In addition, the cottages comprise a foyer, laundry room, staff bathroom, and administrative office.  Each cottage is equipped with fire and sprinkler systems and security alarms on the hallway doors.  

Coming from over half of Tennessee’s ninety-five counties, students begin boarding charter buses as early as twelve o'clock noon on Sunday to arrive at the school's sixty-three-acre campus. Travel is set up and arranged through the parents and the Director of Residential Services office.  Depending on the location of their homes, travel time on the bus extends over six hours to travel one way to the school, although the average time for a student in transit is closer to three and a half hours.

Charter buses equipped with satellite televisions, Wi-Fi, and 100-watt charging capabilities for personal devices transport students across the state to Nashville. Three routes are run each week – typically bringing students to TSB on Sundays and returning students to their families on Friday afternoons.

• Memphis to Nashville: Travels along I-40
• Chattanooga to Nashville: Travels along I-24
• Johnson City to Nashville: Travels along I-40

Stops along each route are planned in safe, public, and well-lit areas (such as hotel or travel center parking lots). At the start of each school year the residential bussing supervisor coordinates the best pick up and drop off locations with families and also acquires a list of approved adults who can pick up students from the stop. Students will only be released to persons who are listed on this form. Families are notified via phone if a bus is running early or late due to weather, traffic, etc...   

Each year the charter buses log more than 111,000 miles delivering students safely to and from their homes and school.  Through sunshine, storms, sleet and snow the buses move from city to town being monitored for safety and efficiency with GPS tracking and cellular phones. Occasionally the TDOT Smart Way Traffic Camera System is utilized in checking the buses locations.  Safety Drills are conducted periodically with the buses to insure knowledge and procedures to follow during emergencies. 

As the students are in transit Youth Service Workers make sure students are comfortable by keeping watch over their safety, providing for their needs and monitoring behavior.  YSWs assist with toileting as needed, administer medication from the clinic if necessary, pass out school-approved snacks and drink, ensure luggage and any written communication from the school is delivered, and touch base and communicate with families.