school boards

23 Jun, 2022

Non-disparagement clause violates free-speech rights of Nashville school board members, court says

By |2022-06-23T10:38:18-05:00June 23, 2022|Categories: First Amendment, school boards|Tags: , , , , , , , , , |0 Comments

A school board's agreement to not say anything disparaging about a director of schools it fired violates the First Amendment free speech rights of school board members, the Tennessee Court of Appeals ruled in a case upholding a lower court's decision.

26 Jul, 2015

Williamson County commissioners hold private meetings to interview school board replacement

By |2015-08-18T07:49:58-05:00July 26, 2015|Categories: Open Meetings, school boards|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , |1 Comment

Two Williamson County commissioners are holding private meetings with candidates to decide who should fill an open position on the Williamson County School Board, but the county commission attorney says their meetings do not violate the Open Meetings Act, according to two stories by media outlets. The Tennessean: Williamson Schools candidate raises transparency concerns Franklin Home Page: Opinions vary on transparency of school board candidate vetting Williamson County Commissioner Kathy Danner Williamson County Commissioner Gregg Lawrence The two commissioners, Kathy Danner and Gregg Lawrence, are responsible for jointly deciding who should fill the remainder of the term of a board member who is leaving. The practice in the past has [...]

9 Apr, 2014

Commercial Appeal reports possible open meetings violations by a charter school

By |2019-09-11T16:17:10-05:00April 9, 2014|Categories: adequate public notice, school boards|Tags: , , , , |1 Comment

The Commercial Appeal reports today on possible open meetings violations by a charter school, the Memphis Academy of Health Sciences. The potential violations came during two meetings, one in which the charter school board voted to make board chairman Derrick Joyce the interim executive director. Board member Dionysia Smith-Richardson told The Commercial Appeal that there was not public notice of the two board meetings in January, including one called as a special emergency board meeting, and they were not held in compliance with the Tennessee Open Meetings Act. Public charter schools by law are subject to the Tennessee Open Meetings Act, which requires adequate public notice of meetings. Smith-Richardson also [...]

14 Mar, 2014

Greene County school board chairman apologizes over TV camera ban

By |2015-08-18T07:55:08-05:00March 14, 2014|Categories: Open Meetings, school boards|Tags: , , , , |1 Comment

The Greene County school board chairman apologized last night to "the board and to the public" over the TV camera ban from its public meeting last month, according to WJHL News Channel 11 and The Greeneville Sun. The board also proposed language that would change its camera policy. The policy allows the school board to prohibit cameras, including TV cameras, and is recommended by the Tennessee School Boards Association. However, an Tennessee Attorney General's opinion about banning cameras from public meetings says they should only be prohibited if they create a safety problem or disturb the orderly conduct of the meeting. Neither of those reasons was given to the WJHL [...]

28 Feb, 2014

Greene County camera policy mirrors recommendation from TSBA

By |2017-01-06T15:27:24-06:00February 28, 2014|Categories: Attorney General Opinions, Open Meetings, school boards|Tags: , , , , |0 Comments

The Greene County Board of Education's decision to ban TV cameras from its public meetings appears to be based on a recommended camera policy by the the Tennessee School Board Association. The school board association sets out best practices for its members. A recommended meeting policy contains the same language that is being reported as in the Greene County school board policy: "No one shall bring a camera, camcorder or other photographic equipment to Board meetings without the consent of the Board," reads TSBA's recommendation. The Greene County school board policy differs only that it starts "The press shall not bring..." The association insists its recommended language is not a "ban" [...]

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