Knox County School Board votes to name high school baseball field after Morgan Wallen
The school’s principal Jason Webster submitted the nomination, along with an announcement that Wallen wants to make a $1.2 million dollar donation to enhance the athletic facilities at the school.
Rutherford County School Board moves to pull even more titles from school libraries
The board voted Thursday to pull more than a dozen titles from library shelves, despite receiving a report that the district’s libraries aren’t meeting state standards when it comes to the number of books available.
Senator Johnson and Representative Reeves want to ensure voting remains convenient in county primaries. Why is their own county’s GOP chapter opposing them?
The lawmakers are proposing legislation that ensures every county that currently uses a primary for local partisan races continues to do so and prohibits them from switching to a caucus or convention.
Metro Nashville Public Schools has two students on its school board. Soon every district in the state could have one.
Lawmakers are currently considering legislation that would require each school district to create a policy for a non-voting student school board member.
State Senate passes bill allowing one-time transfer rule for high school athletes
The measure from State Senator Adam Lowe, R-Calhoun, would allow a student to transfer to another school due to a significant academic, social-emotional, environmental, or mental health need, provided the sending school does not attest the transfer was due to athletic or disciplinary reasons.
Hamilton County Senator Bo Watson faces pushback from Chattanooga educators and business leaders for bill impacting undocumented students
On Wednesday, the Hamilton County Principals Association issued a statement opposing the bill, calling it a threat and a contradiction to professional ethics and moral responsibilities.
Lawmakers question the performance of public charter schools, even though the schools are outperforming traditional public schools in their district
State Representatives John Ray Clemmons, D-Nashville, and Antonio Parkinson, D-Memphis, both serve districts where multiple public charter schools are outperforming traditional public schools nearby. Still both lawmakers openly questioned the performance of those schools during debate over new charter legislation Monday morning in the House Government Operations Committee.
Divided House Committee provides positive recommendation to legislation authorizing school districts to deny undocumented students
It received a positive recommendation on a narrow 8-7 margin, with Representative Jeremy Faison, R- Cosby, joining six Democrats on the committee voting against the legislation.
State Senate passes legislation that would prohibit public school teachers from asking a student’s preferred pronoun
The bill from Senator Paul Rose would extend existing pronoun policy to students and prohibit teachers from asking students to call them by a name or pronoun inconsistent with their biological sex.
State representative pushes for task force to examine the impact of President Trump’s education cuts
The legislation would create what a federal education deregulation cooperation task force charged with investigating the Tennessee impact of recent presidential administration efforts to slash the U.S. Department of Education.
House Education Committee advances state intervention bill for Memphis-Shelby County Schools
Speaking to House Education Committee members Wednesday evening, Representative Mark White said only 17 percent of the district’s students demonstrate proficiency in math, and just 23 percent meet reading proficiency standards.
House committee breaks with the Senate on bill to reduce Tennessee’s testing system
Representative Mark Cochran, R-Englewood, announced Wednesday morning that he plans to amend his legislation without including the key compromise announced in the Senate that would study the state’s accountability system instead of weakening it.
Covenant School Shooting parents say final police report vindicates their desire to keep the shooter’s writings from public release
The report claims Hale intentionally left behind materials to be found, analyzed, and publicly released and investigators say she wanted books, documentaries, and movies to be made about her. They also say she hoped her actions would show future shooters how they could succeed with proper planning.
Knoxville lawmakers share misinformation about public charter schools to attack legislation that supports them
Legislation that supporters say will help ensure public charter schools are approved timely and without political bias advanced from the House Education Committee Tuesday, but not without multiple misleading statements by Knoxville-based opponents.
Bill requiring student citizenship verification passes key Senate committee vote
Watson told committee members his bill is meant to help gather information and ease what he calls a financial burden placed on local districts with English language learnerprograms, pointing to a steady rise in the costs of those programs over the past eight years.
Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce report finds changes needed to better recruit CTE teachers
The committee found several factors are making it more challenging to recruit career and technology (CTE) teachers, including money. The report said teacher salaries remain significantly lower than wages in many CTE industries.
Lawmakers could pass legislation designed to ensure parents are notified about school threats Monday
State Representative Rick Scarbrough is co-sponsoring legislation that would require school districts that report credible threats of violence or significantly disruptive behavior to law enforcement, to notify parents within 48 hours.
Potential compromise reached to study Tennessee’s testing and accountability system, instead of weakening it
Senator Lowe’s legislation would create a ten-member advisory committee appointed by state leaders to study the state’s testing and accountability systems.
Legislation allowing state intervention into Memphis-Shelby County Schools advances following debate by two Memphis lawmakers
Under the bill, the education commissioner would be able to recommend the removal of the director of schools and some or all school board members.
Bi-partisan opposition fails to stop legislation that would let school districts charge undocumented students tuition
The U.S. Supreme Court’s 5-4 Plyler vs. Doe decision prohibits public schools from refusing to admit undocumented students and the legislation is envisioned by supporters as an opportunity to challenge that decision.