Tag: Williamson County School Board

Commentary: Faith and Flags

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I was surprised by the Williamson County School Board’s recent call for action to Governor Lee, especially in how it seems to differ with a resolution that the Williamson County Republican Party released weeks earlier. What is most apparent in the Covenant School tragedy is that another deranged assassin targeted what is essentially a gun free zone. We will never know what might have happened if willing teachers or administrators received proper training and were allowed to carry firearms to protect the children entrusted to their care. Clearly, the bias against the 2nd Amendment has cost us an incalculable price once again.

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Debbie Pace Shares Why She’s Running for Williamson County School Board

Aaron Gulbransen

In a statement obtained by The Tennessee Star, candidate for Williamson County School Board District Six Debbie Pace shared why she is running for office.

“About 20 years ago, when I first started taking my children to school in Brentwood, it was wonderful. Teachers were happy, parents were involved, children were thriving, and the school board reflected the conservative voice of our county.  Over the last few years the once-healthy relationship between the board, parents, and teachers has dramatically deteriorated,” she said.

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Moms for Liberty’s Robin Steenman Talks Williamson County School Board Violation of Own Law Regarding Critical Race Theory

Julie Carr

  Live from Music Row, Tuesday morning on The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy – broadcast on Nashville’s Talk Radio 98.3 and 1510 WLAC weekdays from 5:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. – guest host Cunningham welcomed Robin Steenman of Moms for Liberty-Williamson County to the newsmaker line. Leahy: I am joined on our newsmaker line now by our good friend Robin Steenman, head of Moms for Liberty, also head of Williamson Family PAC. Our lead story at The Tennessee Star this morning. Moms for Liberty Critical Race Theory Complaint Against Williamson County Schools Rejected by Tennessee Department of Education. Robin, what’s your reaction to that? Steenman: Disappointment, Michael. It’s a dodge. Leahy: Well, it’s exactly my thought as well Robin. Steenman: Right. If you read the letter itself from Commissioner Penny Schwinn it says, please note that in declining to investigate these claims, the department has not made a determination regarding the merits of these allegations. It’s a dodge and kids are involved. Kids are in the balance and they chose to not even look at the merits. Leahy: The law prohibiting the teaching of basically 14 tenants of Critical Race Theory and K-12 public schools in Tennessee was passed…

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Williamson County to Limit Speakers at School Board Meetings, Require Proof of Residence

Cooper Moran

The Williamson County School Board announced on Friday that they will limit the number of speakers allowed to address the members and require proof of residence in order to speak.

Additionally, potential speakers must email the school board in advance to secure a position, detailing first/last name, complete address, topic of comment, organization represented, and a copy of a Tennessee state ID.

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Williamson County Commissioners Nominate Top-Level Pfizer Official to Replace Brad Fiscus on School Board

Chris Butler

Two Williamson County commissioners have announced their choice to replace Brad Fiscus on the Williamson County School Board, and that person is Franklin resident Josh Brown, who also does top-level work for Pfizer. Williamson County District Four Commissioners Chad Story and Gregg Lawrence selected Brown against nine other candidates, according to The Tennessean. The remaining commissioners are scheduled to vote on whether to formally appoint Brown to the position at their October 11 meeting.

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Williamson County School Board Hires Firm to Fight Racism, Despite Warnings it Might Indoctrinate Students

Chris Butler

Williamson County School Board members voted unanimously this month to hire a firm to help stamp out what they said was a pattern of racism within the school district. This, even though parents told board members that they researched school disciplinary records and, going by that, racism was not as rampant as suggested. Those parents also said this move falls well beyond a school system’s primary function and might indoctrinate students politically.

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No More ‘White Privilege’ Training, Parents Tell Williamson County School Board

Chris Butler

At a brief and sparsely-attended Williamson County School Board meeting Tuesday, Franklin resident Brandi McCutchan told members of the Williamson County School System that she wants no more “white privilege” training. McCutchan made these remarks during a public comment portion of the meeting. McCutchan cited emails The Tennessee Star obtained and published through an open records request in which county school employees advocated for social change and social justice. “I am here to say that we are not (for it), and we are adamantly opposed to these trainings in our schools and this white privilege train of thought. Concerned parents would like some insight on how these videos came about,” McCutchan said. The “white privilege” training videos, as part of a Cultural Competency video series, showcased local teachers buying into the idea of “white privilege.” “We want to make sure that this training is entirely out of our school system with no plans for implantation,” McCutchan said. “Our parents need assurance our kids are being taught and not indoctrinated.” Meanwhile, during the same public comment portion, Franklin resident Edina Nelson said the curriculum “made her stomach turn.” Nelson invited members of the audience join the Facebook page WCS TN Parents…

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WCS Board Member on White Privilege Training: ‘Everyone, Including Dr. Looney, Are Not Happy with the Training and It Will Not Be Used Anymore’

Chris Butler

Williamson County Schools Superintendent Mike Looney and other school system officials are none too pleased with the “Cultural Competency” training videos he and district officials have imposed on teachers that preach “white privilege.” This, according to a statement School Board member Jay Galbreath made on Facebook Friday. On top of that, school system officials have also cancelled the Southern Poverty Law Center workshop that teachers were scheduled to attend in May. This statement was only one part of a public dialogue Galbreath had with Williamson County Commissioner Barbara Sturgeon on her professional Facebook page Friday about this “white privilege” training. Galbreath is apparently telling more to Sturgeon than he and other school board members would tell The Tennessee Star each time we’ve asked. Sturgeon began the conversation Wednesday by posting a Star article. That article said Looney failed to show he got the Tennessee Department of Education’s legal approval to carry out this “Cultural Competency” training. In her post, Sturgeon asked her constituents to call their school board members and Republican Gov. Bill Lee’s office to discuss the matter. On Friday, the third day of the public dialogue conducted on social media, Galbreath said the following: “Barb Sturgeon Everyone, including Dr. Looney, are not happy…

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Speaker Glen Casada: ‘There Will Be Some Oversight and a Push for Further Deep Oversight’ of Williamson County Schools ‘White Privilege’ In-Service Training

Julie Carr

Tennessee Speaker of the House Glen Casada said on Thursday he favors legislative oversight into how and why Williamson County Schools are conducting “white privilege” in-service training for teachers this academic year, in apparent violation of state law. Appearing on The Tennessee Star Report with Steve Gill and Michael Patrick Leahy – broadcast on Nashville’s Talk Radio 98.3 and 1510 WLAC weekdays from 5:00 am to 8:00 am –  Casada did not mince words when asked by Gill his position on such legislative oversight. Gill posed the question about legislative oversight to Casada about five minutes into the interview. “To me, Glen, the fact that the legislature passes a law that says you have to submit a plan [for in-service training] , and then they [Williamson County Schools] just blatantly ignore it, it seems like the oversight that you guys have talked about doing more of in the past, I know you’re in the middle of a legislative session and it’s like drinking water from a fire hose, but as soon as the session is over, that might be the time to do some oversight of how come we’re not requiring the submission of an actual plan [for in-service training of…

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Mark Levin’s TV Program Spends Full Half Hour on ‘White Privilege’ Videos from Williamson County Schools Obtained by The Tennessee Star

Julie Carr

  On Wednesday’s Tennessee Star Report with Steve Gill and Michael Patrick Leahy – broadcast on Nashville’s Talk Radio 98.3 and 1510 WLAC weekdays from 5:00 am to 8:00 am – Gill and Leahy held a special discussion after Mark Levin featured the WCS boards in service training modules on the Mark Levin’s show BlazeTV Tuesday evening. Throughout the segment, Gill and Leahy discussed Mark Levin’s response to the videos and talked about how other counties might be putting this racist and biased agenda into their in-service teacher trainings. The men called for citizens to take control of their schools and to investigate whether or not their schools are taking part in this anti-American agenda. (BlazeTV Show audio plays) Gill: That’s Mark Levin on his show on The Blaze last night literally took an entire segment, thirty minutes of the show and dissected the Williamson County white privilege video as you heard it there. That’s just kind of the initial part where he was breaking it down. He literally went segment by segment tearing it apart as it went. And again in the way that the brilliant Mark Levin can do. He illustrates the idiocy of this whole thing including…

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WCS Superintendent Looney and TN Dept. of Education Fail to Produce Evidence ‘White Privilege’ Training Is Legally Authorized

Chris Butler

By Tennessee law, the Williamson County School Board is required to approve In-service training plans for teachers. As reported, this year’s In-service training of Williamson County Schools teachers for the academic year 2018-2019 includes a “Cultural Competency” video series that preached “white privilege.” At present, there is no evidence that Superintendent Mike Looney ever prepared the statutorily required In-service training plan, nor is there any evidence the Williamson County School Board ever approved that plan, as is required by law, nor is their any evidence that Superintendent Looney submitted that plan to the Tennessee Department of Education (TDOE) by June 1, 2018, as is required by law, nor is their any evidence that former Commissioner of Education Candace McQueen approved that plan, as is required by law. Superintendent Mike Looney is supposed to file that training plan with the Tennessee Department of Education (TDOE)  every June before the start of a new school year, and the plan may not be implemented without the approval of the Commissioner of Education. So, if those plans, and a document containing former Commissioner of Education Candace McQueen’s approval of those plans are on file with the TDOE, then surely members of that department have…

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The Tennessee Star Report’s Gill and Leahy Discuss WCS Superintendent Mike Looney and the ‘Unresponsive’ Williamson County School Board

Julie Carr

On Tuesday’s Tennessee Star Report with Steve Gill and Michael Patrick Leahy – broadcast on Nashville’s Talk Radio 98.3 and 1510 WLAC weekdays from 5:00 am to 8:00 am – Gill and Leahy discussed the legal implications of Williamson County schools Superintendent Mike Looney who has allegedly gone rogue and avoiding the law for implementing racist and anti-American un-authorized in-service teacher training modules. Towards the end of the segment, the men discussed the lack of response from the Williamson County school board members and the possible legal ramifications due to evidenced neglect for Tennessee State law. Gill: One of the lead stories at Tennessee Star today, focuses on again this Williamson County video series and it’s not X rated it’s just I rated for idiot. (Leahy laughs) Gill: It’s the I rated Mike Looney video series that promotes the racist idea that ALL WHITE PEOPLE ARE RACIST and it’s WHITE PRIVILEGE if you’re not being successful and you’re not white it’s not your fault. It’s because of all those white people that are keeping you down. And that’s the agenda that Mike Looney and the Williamson County school board have decided needed to be taught as in-service training to teachers.…

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Williamson County School Board Members Dodge Questions About Whether They Gave the OK to ‘White Privilege’ Training

Chris Butler

By Tennessee law, members of the Williamson County School Board must adopt the In-Service training for teachers before Superintendent Mike Looney files it with the Tennessee Department of Education. Again, it’s state law. The Tennessee Department of Education’s (TDOE) website says so. Here is exactly what Tennessee Code Annotated Section 49-6-3004, which is displayed verbatim on the TDOE website says: In-service days shall be used according to a plan recommended by the local superintendent of schools in accordance with the provisions of this section and other applicable statutes, and adopted by the local board of education. A copy of this plan shall be filed with the State Commissioner of Education on or before June 1 the preceding school year and approved by him. (emphasis added) So, did the Williamson County School Board approve an In-service teacher training curriculum that preached, among other things, “white privilege” leftist social justice causes, and America’s supposed dysfunctional history? County school board members did not respond to The Tennessee Star’s request for comment, despite having more than two days to do so. Only one school board member, Brad Fiscus, responded to The Star, via email. His response, however brief: “I joined the board in August 2018,”…

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