Ken Taylor, a well-known politico and education advocate, died Monday at age 36.

Millington Schools will remain closed, while other suburban districts plan to reopen Friday.

After a tense exchange between two Memphis-area lawmakers, the Senate Education Committee voted 8-1 for a measure that would ensure Gov. Bill Lee could legally force Shelby County Schools to offer in-person learning.

Project was designed by A2H in Memphis and Detroit, Michigan-based SmithGroup.

Like other municipal districts, Lakeland is concerned about some of the state regulations regarding testing and advancement from third grade.

Charter schools run by nonprofit organizations are allowed to make their own plans about reopening buildings. That means about a quarter of Memphis students attend public schools that are not obligated to follow Superintendent Joris Ray’s decision to continue all-virtual learning. 

The resolution, approved Monday, Feb. 8, in a unanimous vote, isn’t binding on the state. But it calls on the state to move teachers up in the vaccination line as a condition for reopening the state’s largest school system.

The policy aims to address the growing mismatch between Tennessee’s increasingly diverse student population and the educators who teach them.

When Shelandra Ford took her visually impaired grandson to Tara Oaks Elementary School, she found not only needed educational supports but a loving community as well. Now a group of fifth-graders are learning Braille alongside their friend.

Superintendent Joris Ray presented updates for reopening during a board committee meeting Thursday, including creating a district contact-tracing team and using district buildings to administer vaccines to teachers. But he has delayed reopening classes indefinitely, citing high community spread of COVID-19. 

The order keeps alive Tennessee’s quest to create an education savings account program that would provide taxpayer money to eligible families in Memphis and Nashville to pay toward private school tuition.

Gov. Bill Lee talked with SCS Superintendent Joris Ray about potentially returning children to classes by Feb. 15. Dozens of Tennessee counties have progressed to Phase 1b, which includes teachers in the vaccination priority list.

The conversation on “Behind the Headlines” with three experts in education reveals the complexities in reopening schools and helping students catch up.

The state’s largest school system – Shelby County Schools – becomes the only school system in the state to have no in-person classes as Metro Nashville Schools resumes some in-person classes Thursday, Feb. 4.

Shelby County Schools Superintendent Joris Ray has stood firm with all-remote learning, and accuses state leaders of being out of touch with the needs of Memphis students, who are mostly Black and disproportionately affected by the deadly virus. 

Some parents say the content filters on their SCS devices aren’t working and children can “Google anything under the sun.”

Memphis students are struggling with material taught during virtual learning, a top Shelby County Schools official said, pointing to test results.

Greater Memphis Chamber CEO Beverly Robertson sent a letter to Shelby County Schools superintendent Joris Ray and the board to urge them to reopen Memphis area schools.

Education commissioner Penny Schwinn says the Tennessee Department of Health is recruiting schools as vaccination sites and school nurses to give the shots “wherever feasible.” 

SCS students won’t go back to school on Feb. 8.

With help and creativity, children as young as 7 can think about adult careers and becoming an entrepreneur.

Just down the road from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in a community flush with resident health professionals, the Decatur, Georgia, school system had no shortage of expert input on whether to resume in-person classes amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Debate continues on when Collierville High students should return to more time in the classroom as the district weighs safety with best learning experience.

Southwest Tennessee Community College is one of three recipients of the 2021 Bellwether Award. It represents five years of work to improve the student experience, from registration to graduation.

Legislation potentially could force parents to send their children into situations they believe to be unsafe.