House passes bill granting power to open, close schools
The decision to open or close Tennessee schools during a state of emergency is one signature away from falling under the exclusive authority of local school boards.
A bill giving school boards that power cleared the House 85-2 Thursday. The legislation now heads to Gov. Bill Lee’s desk for his signature.
Under HB225/SB103, local school boards and the governing body of public charter schools would, by default, have the authority to shut down schools or keep them open during an emergency such as the COVID-19 pandemic or natural disasters. They can consult health officials on the decision and delegate the authority to school directors. The bill would also give the governor the authority to keep schools open during an emergency. While the Lee administration urged school districts to return to in-person instructions, he never ordered it.
Shelby County lawmakers Sen. Brian Kelsey, R-germantown, and Rep. Kevin Vaughan, R-collierville, sponsored the legislation.
“This returns authority for control of opening and closing schools to locally elected school boards regardless of the situation,” Vaughan said Thursday.
The bill passed the House with little discussion Thursday. It advanced in both chambers as tensions grew between Republican leadership and the state’s two largest school districts — Metro Nashville Public Schools and Shelby County Schools. They were among the last districts to return to school in person during the pandemic.
MNPS reopened schools in early February with a phased approach. Shelby County students began to return to school in person early March.
Some Democratic senators previously raised concerns the bill could allow the governor to overstep local authorities.