MEMPHIS, Tennessee — Tennessee Governor Bill Lee and lawmakers began a special legislative session on education with a specific focus on schools needing to be in-person.
This is one of Gov. Lee’s more urgent calls for in-person learning, but an SCS teacher is calling it simply out of touch.
Local school leaders have called it hypocritical.
“It shouldn’t be anybody’s decision except for Alisa Haushalter,” said Shelby County Schools teacher and parent Raquel Williams. “It should be really left up to her in terms of safety.”
Williams is against Rep. William Lambreth’s bill that would require school districts to allow for instruction inside school buildings for at least 70 days this school year and the full 180 days next year.
Not doing so would risk part or all of state funding from being received.
“I don’t know of very many people who have not been touched by this disease,” Williams said. “There are very many people, people right here in this district teachers who have been sick.”
“You can’t say follow the science and keep schools closed,” Gov. Bill Lee in a speech Tuesday. “You can’t say I believe in public education and keep schools closed.”
Lee pointed out school districts like Shelby County Schools and Metro Nashville Public Schools– the state’s two largest school districts.
“To those that remained closed, I would offer this simple encouragement, follow the science,” he said.
“When a person is totally out of touch it makes sense that they would make those types of statements,” explained Williams. “It makes sense. So we in this community we need to stand behind Superintendent Ray.”
In response to the governor, SCS Superintendent Dr. Joris Ray said in part: “We invite state leaders to step away from privileged podiums and try to understand the many concerns of our students, parents and teachers.”