The Metro Nashville Public Schools Board of Education unanimously approved changes to the school board policies related to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI).
On Tuesday night, the board of education did not discuss these topics during its meeting when it voted on them. However, before this, at the governance committee meeting, board of education members begrudgingly passed these policy changes to be voted on at the school board meeting.
Metro Nashville Public Schools will no longer have policies related to personnel goals, diversity business partners, and education equity.
Regarding personnel goals, the school district will no longer have goals requiring hiring a number of diverse educators.
For its diverse business partners, it will no longer be able to promote the involvement of “local diverse business enterprise firms” in competing for contracts and subcontracts with the school district. The diverse business enterprise firms included minority-owned, women-owned, and disabled veteran-owned businesses.
In terms of education equity, this policy sought to provide students with “equitable access to learning opportunities, materials, and resources.” In addition, this policy said the school district “must be able to identify, respond to, and redress inequity.”
At the governance committee meeting, Dr. David Severe stated the new Tennessee state law, known as the Dismantling DEI Departments Act, prohibits state government and local governments from having policies that promote or require “discriminatory preferences in an effort to increase” DEI.
Governor Bill Lee signed this bill into law in May.
In discussion of these policy changes at the governance committee meeting, School Board Member Abigail Tylor, who authored the education equity policy, said she found this “particular directive the opposite of what should be intended for our school system and our society as a whole.”
She added that despite the requirement to vote to end these DEI programs to follow state law, she said she could not vote “to do that.”
Tylor said when constructing the equity policy, she talked to many members of the Nashville community, such as students, parents, and teachers.
“As a community, they stood up and said this is what we think is best for the students in this school system. This is what we need to have parity among all of our systems, and this is what we need to ensure that every student is known and that we are meeting their needs appropriately,” Tylor explained.
School Board Member Erin Block thanked Tylor for the work she did on this topic.
Block noted if it were not for the new state law, the school board would “not be taking this action.”
School Board Member Robert Taylor also thanked Tylor for her work. Taylor stated this was another situation where the “State Legislature, even though [it] want[s] to be home rule, will not allow us as a city to do that for ourselves.”
Another school board member, TK Fayne, said when the board voted on these things, “it is to comply with state law, which is a challenge for us.”
“It is very discouraging to have to vote on this, but I do understand what we’re doing for the greater good of the community and the kids,” Fayne said.
At the governance committee meeting, all members of the school education board, besides Tylor, voted to approve these changes to the school district’s policies.
School Board Member Rachael Anne Elrod voted twice, once for and once against, the policy changes.
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Zachery Schmidt is the digital editor of The Star News Network. Email tips to Zachery at [email protected].
Does anyone really believe that these practices will be discontinued? They existed before they were labeled DEI and will continue because educators are brainwashed at the college level.
Someone needs to monitor these woke DEI decisions. Like Belmont University, Vandy, & UT, they’ll try to hide it deep into another Dept.
THEY been woke for years.
This DEI funding all started with Obama. MARXIST IN CHIEF.
That why ending the Federal Dept of Education is a good thing.