TENNESSEE EDUCATION REPORT
EDUCATION POLITICS AND POLICY IN THE VOLUNTEER STATE
Sumner County to Ask for Flexibility in COVID Response
by Andy Spears / 1h
After closing for an entire week due to COVID-19, the Sumner County School Board is poised to vote on a resolution asking Gov. Bill Lee and the Tennessee General Assembly to grant additional flexibility to school districts in dealing with the pandemic. The move in Sumner County even as parents in districts across the state are suing Lee over his executive order allowing students/parents to opt-ou
Lawsuits Stacking Up as Lee’s COVID (Non)Response Makes Matters Worse
by Andy Spears / 19h
Lawsuits from parents in Williamson and Knox counties are challenging Gov. Bill Lee’s executive order allowing opting out of a school district’s mask policy. The suits are similar to a suit from Shelby County parents. In the Shelby County suit, a judge today granted an injunction preventing Lee’s opt-out plan from going forward. Meghan Mangrum has more on the Williamson County suit in the Tenness
Judge: Lee’s Action on Masks Interferes with Safe Access to Schools
by Andy Spears / 20h
A federal judge today blocked Gov. Bill Lee’s executive order allowing parents to opt-out of mask mandates in schools. WTVC-NewsChannel9 has more : U.S. District Judge Sheryl Lipman issued the preliminary injunction after parents of students with health conditions argued that the Republican governor’s executive order endangered their children and hurt their ability to attend in-person classes by
Teaching Vacancies Up in Shelby County
by Andy Spears / 2d
The number of teaching position vacancies in Shelby County has increased since the start of the school year, reports Chalkbeat : The Memphis district started the school year with 217 unfilled teaching jobs on Aug. 9, and that number has grown to 227 as of Monday, the district’s human resources chief, Yolanda Martin, said. That represents a dramatic increase in vacancies from around this time last
Knox County’s Thomas Announces Retirement
by Andy Spears / 5d
Knox County Director of Schools Bob Thomas announced last week that he will be retiring at the end of this school year (June 2022). The Knoxville News-Sentinel has more : Knox County Schools superintendent Bob Thomas will retire June 30, 2022, he announced to families Friday evening. “In discussions with my family over the summer, I made the decision to retire on June 30, 2022,” Thomas took the h
8 is Enough?
by Andy Spears / 6d
The Tennessee Lookout reports on the educators across the state who have died so far this school year from COVID-19. The count at the time of publication was 8, though getting an exact number is difficult because there is no central source keeping track of educator deaths related to the pandemic. More: At least eight Tennessee public school employees – three elementary school teachers, one pre-k
Rutherford County Adopts Mask Mandate in Schools
by Andy Spears / 6d
Rutherford County became the latest middle Tennessee school district to institute a mask mandate last week, with the measure taking effect on Monday (Sept. 13th). WPLN has more : Just days after Rutherford County Schools failed to vote on an updated pandemic policy, the school board has adopted a temporary mask mandate. The policy goes into effect on Monday. More than 10,000 students were quarant
BOLD! REFORM! NOW!
by Andy Spears / 8d
Tennessee’s purveyors of privatization are going apeshit over a newly-released poll showing a majority of Tennesseans (53%) believe the state’s education system is on the wrong track. Here’s a tweet from Tennesseans for Student Success: 53% think public education is on the wrong track Nearly 62% believe it's failing to prepare students for employment and adult life Only 25% of students are on gra
Wilson County Parents, Doctors Call for Mask Mandate Ahead of School Board Meeting
by Andy Spears / 9d
As the Wilson County School Board prepares to meet tonight and discuss COVID-19 mitigation strategies, a group of parents, doctors, and concerned citizens is calling on the Board to adopt a universal mask mandate. The call for a mandate comes in the wake of a surge of COVID cases in Wilson County and recent school closures in the district as a result of COVID spread. Wilson County students return
COVID Crisis in TN Classrooms
by Andy Spears / 10d
As school systems close amid COVID-19 spikes, some districts are also seeing teachers leave the profession. WBIR in Knoxville has video of a local teacher who is giving up her job due to concerns over the spread of COVID and lack of action by the district to mitigate spread. WATCH: “I shouldn’t have to be scared to come to work… I don’t know what else I’m gonna do with my life.” An @KnoxSchools t
See You in Court
by Andy Spears / 15d
The State of Tennessee now has a court date to face allegations of inadequate school funding. The lawsuit, originally filed by school systems in Nashville and Memphis, has been joined by Tennessee School Systems for Equity, a group representing smaller systems around the state. The suit alleges that as it currently stands, the state’s school funding formula (BEP) does not provide sufficient fundi
Why Not Waivers
by Andy Spears / 15d
As entire school districts close around the state due to the COVID-19 crisis, Commissioner of Education Penny Schwinn has granted limited waiver authority to allow a shift to remote learning. Why, then, are districts closing without even asking for a waiver? WPLN in Nashville explains : As of Wednesday afternoon, 13 districts have applied to temporarily shift some schools online and 8 were approv
School’s Out for Sumner
by Andy Spears / 16d
Yet another Tennessee school district has announced a temporary closure due to COVID-19. Sumner County Schools will close from Sept. 7-10 (next week) in order to attempt to stop the spread of COVID-19. The move comes