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Yahoo
03-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
How Tennessee one-time transfer bill aimed at TSSAA is one step closer to becoming law
The Tennessee House Education committee on Wednesday approved a bill that could create the first state law to affect the TSSAA's high school athletics transfer rules. The committee's 10-9 vote approving House Bill 25 came after 45 minutes of debate ranging from the bill's sponsor expressing distrust in the TSSAA, to the state association questioning government involvement in its bylaws. The bill will become law if approved by full House and Senate votes. The Senate version of HB25, SB16, passed through the Senate Education Committee, 6-3, last week. More: Meet The Tennessean's boys and girls 2025 All-Midstate high school wrestling teams More: Cleveland forced to vacate TSSAA girls wrestling dual state title after investigation It's the latest chapter in the one-time transfer saga that involves three years of discussions between the TSSAA and lawmakers, but the debate looks different than it did four months ago. Since then, the bills and TSSAA's transfer rules have all been heavily amended to the point their language is nearly identical. Lawmakers and the TSSAA mainly disagree about whether the finality of making high school athletic transfer rules into law is wise. The TSSAA believes state laws on the issue will open the door for litigation that one day could lead to a free-transfer policy in the state. HB25 and SB16 allow public schools to belong to the TSSAA as long as the association allows students one free transfer to another school due to reasons of significant academic, social-emotional, environmental or mental health need. That's if the sending school's administration attests the move is not for athletic or disciplinary reasons. The transfer must also take place before the first day of school. That language is very similar to the TSSAA's current rule, except the TSSAA believes students who transfer for those reasons should be able to do so throughout the year. The TSSAA believes its Legislative Council is better positioned than the state legislature to quickly change the rule if it doesn't work as intended. That was echoed by Rep. Sam McKenzie, D-Knoxville on Wednesday: 'To say that it's simple to come back to this general assembly or any general assembly (and modify law) … It's disingenuous to say that. It's disingenuous to say that it's easy. Nothing is easy in this process.' HB25's author, Scott Cepicky, R-Culleoka, outwardly questioned the Legislative Council and believes his discussions with the TSSAA no longer seem to be in good faith. Cepicky said he feels the TSSAA will go back on its current rule if there isn't state law on it. TSSAA executive director Mark Reeves said during his testimony that the TSSAA would not do that. '(Conversations with the TSSAA) started out as very amicable,' Cepicky said. 'Unfortunately, it's gone downhill from there.' TSSAA general counsel Rick Colbert told the committee in his testimony that lawmakers put the TSSAA Legislative Council members in a difficult position by chastising them in the media for failing to approve a Baylor School proposal for a one-time transfer rule in February. Adam Lowe, R-Calhoun, who authored SB16, publicly called the Council 'tone deaf.' Reeves, Colbert and newly elected Board of Control president Grant Swallows reiterated in testimony Wednesday that the association will face serious issues if there are any high school athletics transfer rules in state law. Colbert said the TSSAA is ill-equipped to handle the increased litigation he believes would take place, and that he could foresee inconsistent court decisions across different jurisdictions. 'We are disappointed with the vote but also understand that they have a tough job in trying to make an informed decision in a limited amount of time on a very complicated issue,' Reeves told The Tennessean in a text message. 'I am, however, confident (in) our member schools, our (Board of Control and Legislative Council), and our staff will continue to work tirelessly to maximize opportunities for students while trying to keep athletics in its proper perspective.' Lowe has been vested in the topic since authoring the Access and Opportunity Act (AOA), which was passed into state law in March 2023. The AOA advocates 'equal access' to extracurricular activities for transfer students, with the exception of athletics. In December, HB25 and SB16 proposed to make it illegal for public schools to use state funding for membership in any interscholastic regulatory association that doesn't allow student-athletes one free transfer to another school without eligibility restrictions, regardless of the reason. That was a much less restrictive version of the TSSAA's transfer rule at the time, which simply stated that athletes who leave one school for another in a different zone to be ineligible for one calendar year from their last varsity game unless they have a bona fide change of address. By February, with Tennessee's newly signed $447 million school voucher program as a backdrop, the TSSAA faced pressure to find athletic eligibility pathways for students who accept vouchers. The TSSAA proposed to its Legislative Council to write a provision to the current transfer rule — allowing one free transfer for non-athletic reasons — effectively loosening it. The proposal passed by an 8-4 vote. Tyler Palmateer covers high school sports for The Tennessean. Have a story idea for Tyler? Reach him at tpalmateer@ and on the X platform, formerly Twitter, @tpalmateer83. This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Tennessee one-time transfer: State legislature inches closer to passing law
Yahoo
27-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Key Tennessee committee passes bill that could bar undocumented kids from schools
A key Tennessee House committee on Wednesday approved a bill that would allow schools to block undocumented children from enrollment, one of the most controversial measures of the 2025 legislative session. For some Republicans, the legislation has emerged as an avatar of the frustration with what they call a broken immigration system across the country. The bill's sponsors have admitted the state would likely be quickly sued over the legislation if it becomes law. The bill's sponsors hope to trigger a critical legal battle to potentially challenge a longstanding U.S. Supreme Court precedent that all children have a right to access public education. Education advocates and Democrats sharply criticized Republicans for targeting children in their effort to make a statement on immigration issues and elevate a legal case before the current conservative Supreme Court. 'We should not put our children – the least of us, those who cannot do for themselves – in the middle of an adult battle,' said Rep. Sam McKenzie, D-Knoxville. 'This is a bully bill doing just that.' House Majority Leader William Lamberth, R-Portland, is sponsoring the legislation and argued schools should at least be able to gather data on the number of undocumented students in their student population. Under current federal law, schools cannot ask for citizenship documentation. "Each [school system] should be able to make the determination on their own as to whether or not they wish to check the immigration of the student who is trying to enroll in that school," Lamberth said. The Education Committee chair called for an abrupt vote Wednesday night after a handful of audience members stood and began singing the song, "Jesus Loves the Little Children." Two Democrats on the committee said they couldn't even hear the call for the vote, but their voting terminals lit up and they quickly cast the vote. The bill passed on an 11-7 vote, drawing Republican opposition from the committee chair, Rep. Mark White, R-Memphis. Rep. Charlie Baum, R-Murfreesboro, and Rep. Tim Hicks, R-Gray, also voted against the legislation with the committee's three Democrats. Republican lawmakers quickly left the committee room after the vote while dozens of protestors stomped and clapped, shouting "Every student counts." In the amended version of HB 793, schools could choose to require all students to prove legal citizenship or immigration status, but schools do not have to require the documentation. Schools could also block students without legal status from enrolling or choose to charge those students tuition to enroll in the school. The amended bill appears to align with a Senate amendment that was supposed to be heard on Tuesday. The Senate bill was delayed and won't be heard until next week. Nashville resident Karla MacIntyre testified against the bill, telling lawmakers she grew up in Tennessee as an undocumented child after her mother, a domestic violence survivor, 'had the courage to immigrate to the U.S. to give her two daughters a chance at survival.' MacIntyre, who later graduated high school and earned two higher education degrees, noted her mother would not have been able to afford tuition for her if this bill had passed during her childhood and her local school chose to charge students. MacIntyre praised the Tennessee educators who encouraged her to work hard and strive for success. 'These diplomas are a testament to the importance of education in shaping our future and helping the growth of our state,' MacIntyre said. Jenny Mills McFerron from EdTrust Tennessee also testified against the bill, warning lawmakers of the downstream effects of denying children an education. 'What happens when thousands of children are locked out of classrooms? What would it look like if there were thousands of children in our communities who never learned how to read?' McFerron asked. Republicans who support the measure have repeatedly said local schools shouldn't have to bear the costs of educating children without legal immigration status, citing rising rates of English as a second language instruction in the state. "We have to get a handle on this moving forward, and I don't see another trigger here unless we challenge Plyler v. Doe in court," said Rep. Scott Cepicky, R-Culleoka, referencing the Supreme Court case the legislation seeks to challenge. Still, McFerron noted a large majority of English learners in schools are U.S. citizens, while Rep. Gloria Johnson, D-Knoxville, argued all undocumented immigrants pay into Tennessee's tax structure. The state heavily relies on sales taxes, paid anytime someone buys groceries of pays for gas, rather than an income tax. "We know that every undocumented immigrant in Tennessee pays all the same taxes and actually gets fewer benefits. They are paying their fair share," Johnson said. This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: TN committee passes bill that could bar undocumented students
Yahoo
25-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
‘Freedom to Read Act' filed in TN legislature would overturn ‘Age Appropriate Materials Act' of 2022
NASHVILLE, Tenn (WKRN) — A bill filed by a Knoxville Democrat aims to return books to classroom libraries and to repeal a newer state law affecting them. Knoxville's Rep. Sam McKenzie (D) has filed HB 1051, also known as the 'Freedom to Read Act,' which would repeal the state's Age Appropriate Materials Act of 2022 while still ensuring books available in school libraries are appropriate for students. Specifically, the bill requires materials in a library collection or school classroom to be 'suitable for the age and maturity levels' of the students at the school; prohibits materials from being excluded because of the origin, background, or view of the creator or because of 'partisan, ideological, or religious disapproval' of it; and requires each local school board and charter school to adopt a policy outlining how to review items in library collections. The review procedure must be 'uniform' and allow the district to 'receive and review feedback' from a student, a parent or guardian, or a school employee. The bill would also remove the state's Textbook and Instructional Materials Quality Commission's authority to issue guidance on schools reviewing library materials, assist districts in evaluating the materials for 'appropriateness' or responding to feedback, complaints or challenges to materials in collections, establishing a timeline for appeals of decisions made by school districts, and making its own determination of any materials in school libraries if the district chooses not to review a title. Since it was enacted in 2022, the Tennessee Age Appropriate Materials Act has been used to catalog all available titles in school libraries to determine whether or not they are appropriate for students. TBI raided law firm investigating 61-page complaint filed against MNPD: CRB Groups like the American Civil Liberties Union have called the bill an act of censorship. 'This misguided and overly broad ban on certain materials could result in the censoring of education materials on biology, history, literature, and health,' the ACLU of Tennessee said in an informational flyer on a 2024 amendment to the Act. That amendment to the Act revised the definition of a book deemed unsuitable for children in K-12 schools to include anything that 'in whole or in part contains nudity, or descriptions or depictions of sexual excitement, sexual conduct, excess violence, or sadomasochistic abuse.' ⏩ Several school districts have used the law to ban more than 1,100 books across the state since the law was enacted, according to the Tennessee Association of School Librarians. Wilson County Schools banned more than 400 books in October of 2024, including a Dr. Seuss book titled 'Wacky Wednesday.' Rutherford County Schools declared several titles 'sexually explicit' in September in a bid to remove them from the school libraries. If passed, the law would take effect July 1. The bill was set to be discussed in the House K-12 Subcommittee, but was cut for time. The next meeting of the subcommittee is Wednesday, March 26, at 1:30 p.m. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
