TN Senate Education Committee members ask TSBA to ‘voluntarily submit' all communications related to school voucher bill
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — Republican members of the Tennessee Senate Education Committee have submitted a letter to the Tennessee School Boards Association (TSBA) asking them to turn over all 'formal and informal communications' related to the Tennessee Education Freedom Act.
The law, which passed a special session of the Tennessee General Assembly in January during a special session of the legislature called by Gov. Bill Lee specifically to address the issue, expanded a controversial voucher pilot program held in Davidson, Shelby, and Hamilton counties.
In the letter, Committee Chairman Sen. Dawn White (R-Murfreesboro) said it was 'important for Tennesseans to have the most accurate information concerning pending and adopted legislation.'
Click here to read the full letter sent to the TSBA
'The recent discussions around school choice and the passage of the Tennessee Education Freedom Act created a situation where a great deal of information concerning the bill's purpose, provisions, and elements were misrepresented to local communities, boards, councils, and commissions,' the letter reads. 'Whereas we understand that opinions may vary in these contentious moments, facts do not.'
The committee members who signed the letter—all eight Republicans, but not lone Democratic Sen. Raumesh Akbari—requested the TSBA's 'cooperation in cutting through any speculation and misunderstanding that might have occurred during the public discourse' about the law.
'To assist this understanding, we are requesting that you voluntarily submit to the Senate Education committee all formal and informal communications with school boards, directors, or districts in Tennessee,' the committee asks in the letter.
The communications include all disseminated documents, actions plans, power points, research, white papers, email exchanges, and 'any other documentation that could be considered under a typical Freedom of Information Act Request.'
The committee asked the materials be submitted no later than Saturday, April 5.
One member of the committee, Sen. Adam Lowe (R-Calhoun), posted a copy of the letter to his official Facebook page, asserting 'evidence that false information might have been intentionally pushed to local school boards, educators, and communities for the purpose of creating conflict.'
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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