A welder, a sixth-grade teacher who’s been on the job 14-years, and a first-grade teacher who expanded a forest learning program are the Tennessee school district’s three 2025 Teachers of the Year.

The legislation, referred to as the Tennessee Public School Accountability Act, would allow the commissioner of the Department of Education to recommend the governor, speaker of the house, and lieutenant governor to create a board of managers over specific school districts.

Stephanie Boshears received a welcome surprise during a school assembly when she was named a recipient of the prestigious Milken Educator Award.

Senator Adam Lowe’s legislation would allow charter applicants the ability to apply directly to the Tennessee Public Charter School Commission if they want to open a school in a district that has had three charter denials overturned in three years.

Under the proposed change for the Tennessee school district, librarians would be required to develop a “Mature Materials List” identifying materials within the library collection that have mature content. 

Tuesday night, newly confirmed Secretary of Education Linda McMahon went on the Fox News program the Ingraham Angle to reframe a major reduction in her department’s workforce as the tool to provide states with more education funding.

Bulso’s bill would require restrooms, changing areas, and showers that are multi-occupant to be segregated by sex in residential education programs involving minors.

That list includes more than three dozen schools in Shelby County and more than two dozen in Davidson.

Representative William Lamberth’s, R-Portland, bill would give school districts the option to refuse to enroll students that do not have legal immigration status.

Representative Cochran’s amendment would reduce elementary and middle school testing by continuing to require annual state ELA and math assessments but only requiring students to take science tests once in grades 3-5 and once in grades 6-8.  Additionally, middle school students would only have to take state social studies assessments once, instead of each year.

Thursday the group held one of it’s first community discussions involving panelists who acknowledged the critical issues within the district but believe these problems can be better solved at the local level.

Speaker Cameron Sexton said leaders in the House and Senate are still working out the details of legislation to create state intervention into Memphis-Shelby County Schools, but one thing that will be proposed is a forensic audit of Memphis-Shelby County Schools to look for fraud abuse and waste.

School board members voted to remove “Assassination Classroom” volumes 1 through 8 and 11by Yusei Matsui, “Catch 22” by Joseph Heller, “Perfect Chemistry” by Simone Elkeles, “Water for Elephants” by Sarah Gruen, and “Yolk” by Mary H.K. Choi from school libraries.

The bill would require public school districts to collect documentation during enrollment proving students are U.S. citizens, in the process of obtaining citizenship, or hold a legal immigration or visa status. If students cannot provide that documentation, the district could charge them tuition.

District leaders unveiled the Raider Bites truck during a ceremony on campus Wednesday, equipped with a commercial-grade kitchen to provide career and technical education (CTE) students with skills in technical, financial, and entrepreneurial fields.

The bill, sponsored by Representative Scott Cepicky, R-Culleoka, would require local school districts to integrate 40 minutes of recess time per day for elementary school students. Currently, schools are only mandated to provide 15 minutes of recess per day.

Mayor Jacobs has known McMahon for decades through his hall of fame career as the wrestler Kane in the World Wrestling Federation. McMahon and her husband Vince McMahon bought the WWF in the 80s and Jacobs told the Tennessee Firefly that Linda’s business sense will serve the country well leading the Department of Education.

The proposed legislation would allow charter applicants the ability to apply directly to the Tennessee Public Charter School Commission if they want to open a school in a district that has three charter denials overturned in three years.

More than 75 percent of families said they support the continuation of early release or half days. However, about 53 percent of parents said the shorter days pose some challenge to their families, the primary issues being disruption to routine and lack of childcare and transportation.

The bill requires local boards of education and public charter schools to adopt a policy prohibiting students from using any wireless communication devices during instructional time, with some exceptions.