Tag: Shelby County Schools

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Black County Commissioners Oppose Lee’s Order on Masks in Schools

Members of the Shelby County Commission Black Caucus spoke out Tuesday against Gov. Bill Lee’s executive order allowing parents to opt their children out of school mask mandates.

Commissioner Tami Sawyer said the group stands with the parents in Shelby County who are concerned with the “distasteful” executive order.

“Parents are reeling from this decision,” Sawyer said. Based on pictures she’s received of school hallways, she said it’s unlikely that students are social distancing between classes. With students able to opt out of wearing masks, Sawyer said there will be an even greater spread of the virus. 

“It gave me the heebie jeebies to think about how that’s going to work without masks,” Sawyer said. “It’s not just the kids and that’s the point that needs to be driven home. When you think about the economic crisis that Shelby County is in, a lot of children are being raised in multigenerational homes. So they are taking this virus to their ailing grandparents, to their mother who is then taking it to work, to their younger siblings taking the virus to middle school or kindergarten.” 

Sawyer also noted that the executive order is another example of the state undermining local government. The local government cannot make decisions for itself without fear of litigation or punitive measures by the state, Sawyer said. 

“That is not the way state and local governments are supposed to work together,” Sawyer said. “Whenever Shelby County makes a decision that’s best for them, we have to be afraid or concerned that the state is going to come back and reverse it or punish us because of our decision, especially when it comes to our children and education.”

Commissioner Mickell Lowery, who has two school-aged children, said protecting children should not be political. 

“It’s hard to tell children to stay separated and social distance when they’re just being kids,” Lowery said. “It affects all of us.”

Lowery added that the group supports any method, “by any means,” to keep children safe. 

Commissioner Reginald Milton said the executive order is using students as “political pawns.” 

“I will not play politics or games with their lives,” Milton said. “I ask all of you to stand with us and say ‘this is wrong and the governor is wrong.’”

With three children in school, Commissioner Van Turner said as a parent, “it’s nerve wracking.” 

“I think parents have rights, but they don’t have rights to endanger the lives of other children in other households,” Turner said. “If that’s the case, why don’t we allow children to smoke at school. Here we are dealing with real life situations where people are passing and the governor is doing something opposite of what’s going to protect our young people.

Turner said the group supports all efforts to pursue legal action against the executive order. 

Shelby County Schools superintendent Joris Ray said Monday that he, along with the SCS board members and its general counsel, are reviewing the legalities of the executive order. In the meantime, he reiterated that masks are still required for all school employees, students, and visitors. 

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Shelby County Schools Terminates Early Childhood Education Partnership With Porter-Leath

Porter-Leath Early Childhood Academy. (photo courtesy Porter-Leath)

Shelby County Schools has opted not to renew its early childhood education partnership with nonprofit organization Porter-Leath.

In a press release, Porter-Leath, which had been negotiating for a contract renewal this year, said that it learned of the seven-year partnership’s termination in a statewide phone call with SCS this morning; the arrangement will come to an end on June 30, 2021. 

The organization will continue to provide early childhood education resources to eligible families, and will open its Porter-Leath Preschool families with preschool-age children at American Way Preschool & Early Head Start, Cottonwood Preschool, Early Childhood Academy, Early Childhood Academy in Frayser, Frayser Preschool and Early Head Start, and Porter-Leath and University of Memphis Early Childhood Academy (opens January 2022).

“We were not included in the Reimagine 901 Plan [to transform education in Shelby County] by the District, but had responded to three issued, then canceled, RFPs from the District,” said Porter-Leath president Sean Lee. “We remained in negotiations with SCS, including Superintendent Dr. [Joris] Ray directly, and were appalled to learn indirectly of the District’s move on a statewide phone call this morning. SCS is walking away from millions of dollars of private investment in infrastructure and quality improvement, but Porter-Leath will continue to utilize those investments to serve families going forward.”

The partnership boasted national commendation and several achievements, including $49.5 million in funding for four Early Childhood Academies, as well as an increase in school readiness results, up from 61 percent to a 72- to 82-percent range. 

In its own statement, SCS said that it would bring all remaining Pre-K services in-house, and there would be “no disruption of services or support for students and families.” The statement claims that the move would generate several million in savings.

“Our early childhood director Divalyn Gordon has identified up to $3 million in educational cost savings to provide services to SCS families,” said superintendent Ray. “Rather than paying increased administrative costs to Porter-Leath, SCS aims to apply these cost savings to strengthen services and program expansions.”

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Politics Politics Beat Blog Politics Feature

Transfer of “Three Gs” Braked, Pending Talks

Germantown High School is one of the "Three Gs" under discussion in the General Assembly and between Shelby County Schools and Germantown.

According to state Representative Mark White (R-Memphis), Education chair in the Tennessee House, the fate of the Germantown public schools known as the “Three Gs” is still unsealed, despite a maneuver last week by his Senate counterpart, Brian Kelsey (R-Germantown).

District 83 Rep. Mark White (R-Memphis).

A bill requiring the three schools — Germantown Elementary School, Germantown Middle School, and Germantown High School — to shift from the authority of Shelby County Schools (SCS) to that of the Germantown School District, appears to be shelved for the current legislative sessions, thanks to a gentlemen’s agreement of sorts.

What Kelsey did last week was rescue a frustrated effort to require SCS to yield authority over to the Germantown district. As Senate Education chair, he was able to reattach a key amendment to that effect from SB 898, which had been defeated in his committee, and add it to SB 924, a bill of his own.

Newly attached to the Kelsey bill, the legislation was forwarded to the Senate calendar committee, one step away from a vote on the floor.

But meanwhile, White withdrew his House bill containing the same enabling amendment, on the theory, he says, that the SCS board has agreed to discussions with Germantown authorities over the ultimate fate of the three schools. The “Three Gs” are long-time Germantown legacy institutions that in 2013 devolved into the orbit of SCS at the conclusion of the city/county merger/demerger period.

At the time, the newly created Germantown School District could not guarantee to accommodate the schools’ large student population living outside of Germantown. The City of Germantown built a new elementary school and proclaimed Houston High School, on the elite suburb’s eastern perimeter, as the city’s official high school.

But there never ceased to be sentiment in Germantown to reclaim the buildings, all of which are within the city’s core and governmental center. There is still, however, no certainty that, if reincorporated into Germantown,  the schools would be open to current student populations comprised of an overwhelming majority of non-Germantown residents, nor will there even be a guarantee, Germantown Mayor Mike Palazzolo acknowledges, that the buildings would be used as public-school structures.

White said on Thursday, however, that the real point of his House bill HB 917, was to encourage conversations between SCS and Germantown on the matter, not to force a solution, and that he and Kelsey — who, according to White, has agreed to pull his enabling amendment from SB 924 — had concurred on withholding any legislative action unless there is no progress by the end of this year in talks between the disputing parties.

This arrangement is, of course, dependent on Kelsey’s following through with his pledge to withdraw his enabling amendment from SB 924 when that bill comes before the full Senate. Should he not do so, a House-Senate conference committee would be appointed to resolve differences between 924 and a companion House measure by state Rep. Scott Cepicki (R-Culleoka) to which it is now technically coupled.

State Rep. Dwayne Thompson (D-Memphis) is guardedly optimistic that the gentlemen’s agreement will go through, but he remains dubious about the prospect, soon or late, of the Three Gs passing from SCS to Germantown. “If you ask me,” he said, “that’s holding hostage some 4,000 students now enrolled in the schools for whom there is no conveniently located school that isn’t already overcrowded.”

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Chalkbeat: Shelby County Schools to Reopen Classrooms

Shelby County Schools Superintendent Joris Ray (Credit: Shelby County Schools/Facebook).

Shelby County Schools/Facebook

Superintendent Joris Ray

Two weeks after Superintendent Joris Ray delayed reopening classrooms indefinitely, he announced students can begin returning to Memphis schools on March 1st.

Students in kindergarten through fifth grade can return to classrooms first, on March 1st, with sixth through 12th graders returning a week later on March 8th. The new timeline means that parents can contact their school if they want to change to in-person learning. Parents who choose to continue learning from home can still do that.

Ray is urging all teachers to return to classrooms by February 22nd and will offer a $1,000 bonus for certified educators and $500 for other school-based employees.

The superintendent told reporters Friday that he does not know when Memphis teachers will be able to begin receiving COVID-19 vaccinations, even though he said district leaders have “pleaded with health officials and state leaders for months to prioritize vaccinations for teachers and SCS employees.” Federal guidelines released Friday said schools don’t need to wait for staff to be vaccinated to reopen.

Ray cited declining numbers of COVID-19 cases in the county as one of the reasons he wants to reopen classrooms in about two weeks. He also cited a legislative proposal to cut funding for school systems that do not offer at least 70 days of in-person learning this year.

“We’ve fought the good fight. We’ve stood alone in Memphis and Shelby County against mounting pressure to reopen while COVID-19 cases spiked in our community,” Ray said in a prepared statement Friday afternoon. “We know best how to serve our students and children and as such, the time has come for us to return stronger in-person to our buildings and classrooms.”

Governor Bill Lee has pressed Shelby County Schools to offer an in-person learning option, and a spokeswoman praised Ray and the school board Friday for its decision.

“Today’s announcement is encouraging news for parent choice and a return to the classroom is critical for students, especially low-income students who have struggled this year,” said Laine Arnold, adding that the state “will continue to provide support.”

But even students who return to buildings may still be learning through live videoconferencing since only about 17 percent of the district’s teachers chose to teach from their classroom, based on the December survey.

When Ray updated school board members on the district’s reopening plan last week, including a team of contact tracers and plans to help the local health department vaccinate teachers at two district buildings, some board members urged Ray to set a new timeline.

Shelby County Schools, the state’s largest district with 90,000 students, is the only one  in Tennessee that hasn’t reopened school buildings this school year. Students in district run schools have been learning through live videoconferencing since August. The district’s charter schools can make their own reopening plans and most of the charter networks are offering in-person learning, though few students are returning.

Chalkbeat is a nonprofit news site covering educational change in public schools.

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Opinion The Last Word

Shelby County Schools: You’re Doing It Wrong

CREDIT: Veronika Viskova | Dreamstime.com

It is a few weeks into this very different school year, and I have a message for Shelby County Schools: You are asking too much. Too much from students, too much from teachers, too much from families.

I understand concerns about lost learning. I can also imagine the difficulty of making sure that all students have access to devices, internet, supplies, and tech support, not to mention access to meals as well as support staff, like special education professionals.

I know that there aren’t a lot of great options for this school year, that is, but SCS has nevertheless made several decisions about virtual learning that actually work against the districts’ goals of effective instruction for all children.

Veronika Viskova | Dreamstime.com

Pandemic education

I have been watching an SCS first grader in virtual learning, and here is what I see:

• A 6-year-old child who is normally excited about learning new things having to sit in a chair for six hours in front of a screen while she fidgets and struggles to pay attention.

• A busy screen full of children in the same boat; some at home, some in care outside of the home, but all of them forced to sit there like they are in an actual classroom.

• Multiple technical glitches that require a tech savviness that some children and families don’t have.

• Families who are spending time they don’t have on figuring out what their kids are supposed to do each day, how to print and upload assignments, and how to assess their academic progress.

• Teachers who spend copious amounts of time online and likely have little planning time for a giant shift in their instruction.

This summer, SCS had a chance to reimagine what school could look like this year and beyond. Instead, the district simply converted the school day to online and insisted on unnecessary rules, like having to wear shoes and universal bell times.

Having spent more than 15 years in the field of early childhood education, I know that practically all the best research tells us that this kind of remote learning does not work.

First and foremost, children should not be spending all day in front of a computer. This is true at any age, but especially true for elementary-age students whose brains and bodies can really only handle up to two hours of screen time a day.

Second, there is a real danger of increased obesity and health issues, and behavioral and learning problems can also result from this setup.

Third, teachers as well should not be spending all day in front of a computer. When they do, this increases emotional stress and physical tension while decreasing productivity, concentration, and creativity.

Finally, the current remote learning plan ignores the reality that many, if not most, families in Shelby County are likely overwhelmed with day-to-day life: work demands, financial concerns, health and safety concerns, institutional and systemic racism, political unrest, traumatic loss, and the list goes on.

What children, teachers, and families really need right now is flexibility and resources. I confess that even as an education professional and a mother of two, I do not have all of the answers. But I do have questions that I hope district professionals and policy makers will consider:

• Why do students need to be connected all day? Is the concern about truancy, delinquency, lost learning? Is there another solution for these concerns?

• Is a universal remote learning structure for all grades and kids the same as an equitable learning structure? Or does it put more pressure on families and kids with fewer resources?

• How might classrooms for all ages be “flipped”? (A flipped classroom is where children watch short instructional videos and do work independently and then come to class synchronously or in person to check in, discuss, and extend the learning.)

• What if children had short 1:1 check-ins instead of whole-group classes all day?

• What if homework looked like play and opportunities to connect to the real world?

• Why is there little understanding of current and previous trauma built into the school day?

• What would our kids and teachers be capable of if given autonomy within more realistic boundaries?

I know this is a complex puzzle and that a one-size-fits-all solution isn’t possible, but this is exactly what SCS is attempting to do. We know teachers and staff are working tirelessly under extraordinary conditions. Superintendent Ray has commented multiple times on the need for grace at this time. So, let’s give everyone a break from nonstop virtual classrooms and rethink what virtual school can and should be.

Victoria Kintner-Duffy, Ph.D., is a research and evaluation specialist at Teachstone and has worked in early childhood education for 15 years.

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Shelby County Schools to Go All-Virtual This Fall

Shelby County Schools to Go All-Virtual This Fall


As the numbers of confirmed COVID–19 cases continue to rise in Memphis, Shelby County Schools superintendent Dr. Joris M. Ray announced Monday that the district will begin its school year fully virtual starting on August 31st.

The move came amid growing national pressure for schools to remain closed due to the COVID–19 pandemic. However, Ray cited the growing number of cases and uncertainty of the pandemic as major factors in the decision. 

“Safety signage, spacing desks, more hand sanitizer, and masks simply cannot make a school safe in a community that is experiencing a daily triple-digit increase of virus cases,” Ray said in a video announcement. “There are more than 18,000 cases of COVID-19 in Shelby County — a 9.3% positivity rate and growing. Science tells us that by September, our community will reach the same trajectory as New York City, and this figure does not account for the students returning to school.”

Teachers will have the option to teach remotely or in classrooms, but all students will rely on remote learning until further notice.

To supplement the process all students will be given a digital device and have the opportunity for an internet hotspot, based on need. Shelby County Schools will also continue to provide meals for students and accommodations to students who receive special education services.

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SCS and U of M Partner to Found George Floyd Memorial Scholarship

CREDIT: University of Memphis

University of Memphis

In the wake of George Floyd’s death, local educators have banded together to create a new opportunity for Memphis-area students.

Shelby County Schools (SCS) superintendent Joris Ray and University of Memphis president M. David Rudd have committed to the creation of the George Floyd Memorial Scholarship fund as a means of fighting the systemic racism and racial inequality faced by African Americans in education.

The fund will provide college scholarship support for African American Male Academy members, as well as college-readiness preparation.

The African American Male Academy is a partnership between SCS and the university, aimed at improving graduation rates throughout Memphis. The academy targets middle-school-aged African-American boys with the goal of creating a hub of inclusive excellence that exposes middle-school boys to African-American professors and staff. The first class of 50 was inducted into the program on Sunday, June 7th.

“I’m proud to join my good friend, Dr. Rudd, in this work of putting a laser-like focus on the empowerment of young men of color in middle schools across the city,” said Ray. “Through this memorial scholarship, we’ve set out to ensure that George Floyd did not die in vain, and that his final cries for breath will forever be ingrained in our consciousness.”

Rudd granted that this was “only one small step” toward productive change and that the U of M would be continuing to make “concrete changes and reforms” in the coming months.

More information about the African American Male Academy can be found here.

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Shelby County Schools Likely to Open With Hybrid Model in Fall


Shelby County Schools – Facebook

Schools here will likely use a hybrid model combined of in-person and distance learning when the school year starts in the fall, Shelby County Schools (SCS) officials said Monday, May 18th.

At a Monday press conference, Joris Ray, SCS superintendent, said the district is preparing for a return in the fall “that will be unlike any first day of school.”

“This is something we’ve never experienced before,” Ray said. “The reality is we don’t know what hold this virus will have on the community, and we must be prepared for a variety of scenarios.”

Ray announced SCS’s Strategic Action for Flexible Education (SAFE) plan, a contingency plan for reopening schools in the fall, and named the SCS Re-Entry Task Force, which will be charged with advising the district on a long-term strategy for reopening schools.

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The task force consists of stakeholders in education, healthcare, and business, as well as elected officials. Some key members include City Council members Patrice Robinson, Dr. Jeff Warren, and Michalyn Easter-Thomas; Shelby County Commissioner Mark Billingsley, director of the Shelby County Health Department Alisha Haushalter, and vice president of government affairs for Baptist Memorial Healthcare Corporation Keith Norman.

The task force will be responsible for developing re-entry protocols, addressing transportation, meal distribution, and logistical challenges; addressing loss of instructional time, and meeting social and emotional learning needs of students and families.

“Our students are suffering,” Ray said. “They’re afraid, and we have to meet emotional needs in order for them to learn.”

SCS assistant superintendent Reggie Jackson, who will serve as the chair and facilitator of the re-entry task force, said “We have to be realistic and understand” that a hybrid model of in-person and distance learning may be necessary for the fall semester.

The task force will consider several options, Jackson said, which include a complete or near-complete re-entry of all students, staggered schedules for students, or complete online learning with only a few students inside schools at a given time.

Jackson said the task force will be meeting weekly to develop a reopening plan, which Ray said will likely be solidified by early July. Ahead of that decision, Ray said SCS will hold a series of community meetings to gather input from the public on the district’s reopening plan. The dates of those meetings have not been set yet.

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Fighting Food Insecurity Amid School Closures

CREDIT: Mid-South Food Bank/Facebook

Mid-South Food Bank/Facebook

Shelby County Schools announced Thursday that they would be taking precautions against coronavirus by closing all schools through March 30th, and many private schools and after-school programs have followed suit.

In the wake of the announcement, several collections and food drives have been started to ensure Memphis children do not go hungry during school closures, as many students rely upon the meals they get from school.

One way to get involved and fight food insecurity in Memphis during school closures is through the Mid-South Food Bank.

“As many Mid-South families prepare for schools to close due to the coronavirus and confirmed COVID-19 cases, Mid-South Food Bank is assembling 14-day food boxes full of nonperishable food for low-income and vulnerable populations,” states a post on the Mid-South Food Bank Facebook page. “We’re asking for your help to continue serving our hungry neighbors.”

Monetary donations to Mid-South Food Bank can be made online.

Other groups, like Shelby County Schools and Freedom Preparatory Academy, will prepare sack lunches during the week of March 23rd, while organizations like the Dorothy Day House are currently accepting food items as well as monetary donations via their website.

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COVID-19: SCS, Rhodes, UTHSC, U of M Suspend Classes

As concerns about the coronavirus grow, Shelby County Schools announced Thursday that schools would be closing through the end of March beginning Friday, March 13th.

School officials are taking this proactive step although they said there still have not been any risks to schools identified by the Health Department.

“However due to national developments and rapidly changing conditions regarding the spread of COVID-19, Superintendent [Joris] Ray, our school board, and district leadership believe this is the most responsible course of action at this time,” reads the statement from SCS. “Closing schools is never a decision that we take lightly.”


Schools will be closed for a total of 11 days, including five days scheduled for spring break next week. Officials said during that time, the district will perform deep cleaning to all school buildings, fully assess potential risks associated with individuals who may be traveling over the break, and plan for “a variety of contingencies that will better prepare us to support schools if conditions become more complicated in the future.”

Late Wednesday Rhodes College announced that all in-person classes would be suspended and that the campus will implement a remote learning plan for the remainder of the semester. The college is also canceling all campus gatherings and events for the rest of the semester.

“This decision is determined to the best course of action for Rhodes to protect not only our community, but also the larger Memphis community,” a statement from the college reads. “However, there is no one-size-fits-all approach and we acknowledge that what is best for us is not necessarily best for all institutions.”

The college is also asking that students who are able to do so move out by Wednesday, March 18th. International students, students without reliable internet access, and those without a home or a safe home, may request to stay on campus.


The University of Tennessee System, including the University of Tennessee Health Sciences Center in Memphis, has also suspended in-person classes until further notice. Classes will be offered remotely beginning March 23rd. All university-sponsored events will also be cancelled beginning then.

The University of Memphis said Thursday that spring break would be extended for an additional week and that classes will resume Monday, March 23rd. Beginning then, the majority of courses will be held virtually for the remainder of the semester. Additionally, university-sponsored events with more than 150 attendees will be canceled or postponed.

The campus will not close, however, as officials said campus housing and dining are essential for a large number of students. Cleaning and social distancing guidelines will be shared with those utilizing university housing and dining facilities.


Shelby County Health Department officials said Wednesday that there are no new cases of the coronavirus in the county and that everyone who came into contact with the patient here testing positive for the virus — approximately 80 individuals — has been quarantined.

As of Wednesday, nine patients in Tennessee have tested positive for the coronavirus.

Check the health department’s webpage dedicated to COVID-19 for more information. The University of Tennessee Health Science Center also has a page dedicated to updates COVID-19 information.

Shelby County officials have also launched their own portal with up-to-date, essential information about the virus.

This story was updated to include information about the University of Memphis.