Student information fight continues
The Nashville school board will have more time to decide whether it wants to continue a fight against the state’s Achievement School District over the contact information of students zoned to failing schools.
A Nashville judge ruled from the bench in January against the Metro Nashville Schools board. The ruling said the district must turn over student contact information to the ASD by March 16 at noon.
A final order was not entered until March 8, however, and the ruling will not be effective until 30 days after it is issued, according to Sara Gast, Tennessee Department of Education spokeswoman.
“The writ cannot be enforced for 30 days from March 8,” she said.
The Nashville board could also appeal the judge’s ruling, extending the fight even further.
The latest development in the months-long battle extends the fight by Nashville’s and Memphis’ school boards, which is tied to a law passed last year by legislators requiring school districts to hand over student contact information to districts such as the ASD.
Both school boards refused last year to turn over the data when state-run charters schools requested the information from the districts. The charters use the information to recruit students.
The Tennessee Department of Education sued after the districts’ continued refusal to turn over the data after months of back and forth talks.
The state law passed last year says school districts must provide a charter school operating at least one school in the district or a chartering authority basic contact information within 30 days of receiving a request.
The law says that a district “shall provide at no cost a list of student names, ages, addresses, dates of attendance, and grade levels completed.” It adds that charters can’t share the information with outside parties.
State Rep. John Forgety, who chairs a House education committee and supported the legislation last spring, said in September he was concerned about the law opening up school districts to recruit each other’s students. A bill he filed to amend the law was removed from consideration this year.
Reach Jason Gonzales at jagonzales@tennessean.com and on Twitter @ByJasonGonzales.