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. –  host Michael Patrick Leahy welcomed MNPS District 6 school board member Fran Bush to the newsmakers line.
During the third hour, Bush updated listeners with the situation that Nashville Public School students face by continuing to be left on the sidelines as other counties and districts reopen for in-person learning and sports.
Leahy: In the studio with us all-star panelist and good friend Clint Brewer. Clint, you doing ok this morning?
Brewer: Doing good, man. Doing good.
Leahy: Joining us on the line our new friend Fran Bush. She is a member of the Metro Public School Board representing District 6. How are you this morning, Fran?
Bush: I’m doing excellent. How is everybody?
Leahy: We have to have you in the studio sometime, Fran. Would you come in?
Bush: Absolutely. Yes.
Leahy: So my question to you is, you actually have been pursuing the opportunity for kids to go back to school in person, and also for kids to play high school sports in Metro Nashville Public Schools. How is that process going?
Bush: Well, first and foremost, thank you again for having me on the show. First, we need to have our kids back in school. We are still inching along, getting our kids back. Supposedly after fall break, which is mid-October. And we all know that Metro Nashville Public Schools have fallen behind since the pandemic, and delaying the process of getting these kids back at that time is pretty late.
As you know, other surrounding counties and district schools have already transitioned their kids into school safely. And we’re still inching behind. And it’s going to put us in a predicament that we can really suffer for a long time.
Leahy: Has the school district made a formal decision or is its thinking maybe sort of, part of us will come back for real in-person classes in mid-October? Is it firm or is it uncertain?
Bush: So right now it’s looking like it’s going to be firm. The problem is the phasing approach is really late on transitioning our elementary and middle. And then of course you may have heard that high school won’t be returning until January. And that is simply unacceptable, and they cannot give us any reason behind the reasons why our high school students are not transitioning back sooner than later. It’s definitely going to hurt our seniors.
Brewer: Fran, this is Clint Brewer. Let me ask you a question. What are you hearing from your constituents, about what online learning is doing to their home life? What are you hearing from people about how that is affecting the life of their families at home by trying to get kids online to learn at home? Maybe they aren’t taking to it and maybe the families don’t have the resources or the time to oversee it.
Bush: Thank you for that question. That is one of the things that Nashville Parents Choose has done a great job. They have said to let the parents have choices. Families are suffering. My constituents, along with other school board constituents, have reached out to me and just have told me that this virtual learning is not anything that they would have ever imagined that their kids would be doing.
And of course, we are in an unprecedented time right now, but these students are suffering emotionally, mentally, and physically. We have a higher rate of children now seeking pediatrician care because of the virtual learning space. We know our teachers are doing the best they can with what they have right now. But these kids are suffering. Families are suffering. Families who have had to make tough decisions financially to stay home with their kids or not even work.
It’s taking a toll on our economy. There are so many different layers that are hurting our kids and families, and especially with the kids that are disadvantaged. They don’t have that support at home. And it is definitely showing because the amount of virtual learners that are online right now is decreasing. That means we are having students that aren’t logging on, and parents are simply giving up.
Leahy: Are you hearing from back channels or quietly from educators that have concerns? Are you hearing from teachers that share these concerns?
Bush: Absolutely. There is a huge number of teachers that want to get back into the classroom safely. And they have reached out and said this is not working virtually for us. It is actually harder than they have expressed. They do carry some frustrations that they want to get back.
We do have teachers who have chosen, with underlying conditions, to have a choice to stay virtual so that is an option. So we are hearing that teachers are definitely wanting to come back and see their kids. Touch their kids. And be able to be an advocate and a support in their academic success.
Brewer: What’s next? I noticed that Dr. Battle had a timeline out there that’s been released that you’ve referenced. Is there negotiation to be had here between members of the board and the administration in the school system? Will there be any kind of public debate about this outside of the pages of the newspaper? What is next as you try and your coalition try to move this issue along?
Bush: Well first and foremost, unfortunately, the rest of the board, unlike myself, I decided to do what was right for the kids and not what’s wrong for the kids. So we have the vast majority of the board members that are weighing on Dr. Battle’s decision and trusting her decision, so therefore they are not on board.
And their constituents are very frustrated that they are not listening to the people. Moving forward we are going to continue to mobilize and make sure that we continue to up our voices to make sure that they understand that this transition needs to happen, or even happen sooner.
Now they have a month to get this right. And I’m just really worried because we should have been back in the classroom now. Just in case we would have to go virtual at least some of the students would have an academic foundation before if that was an option moving forward.
Leahy: What about football, Fran? Are kids going to play football this fall?
Bush: Well you know we had a very big rally, and it was an amazing turnout. It was amazing to see the parents and students come out and advocate for what they want. They want to move forward. They want to play like their other friends and peers inside and outside of the district. And of course, we had that movement.
And as a result, they are doing contact sports right now. They are practicing that way. We are just trying to get the green light to make sure they are going to be playing around September 25th. (Inaudible talk) because they need to practice ten days before or contact sports 10 days before a game.
Leahy: Well that’s promising, yes? Don’t you think?
Bush: It is. I’m just still concerned about the struggles and how it shouldn’t be this way. We should not be resistant to making sure our kids have opportunities. o I’m very concerned about the tug of war with children. That’s dangerous. That’s a dangerous game you play with kids. And I just feel very compelled to continue to advocate for these kids, our families, and our teachers. We have to get this right, and we have to get it right now or we will be in a danger zone.
Leahy: What’s it like Fran, being a voice of common sense in a land where there is not a lot of common sense these days? Is that frustrating for you?
Bush: (Chuckles) It is so frustrating. I talk about this all the time about common sense. Just thinking about what is right, right? It shouldn’t be this hard. But you have so many different people at the table, that you think have the knowledge and the skills, and those getting paid the big dollars to make common-sense decisions. And that’s not what is happening right now.
Brewer: So Fran you’ve got football. It’s football season as we’ve referenced. Its also girls’ soccer season. What reasons have you been given by the school systems management? Why is Metro Nashville different than the suburbs around Nashville who are all playing or many other counties in Tennessee that are playing? Have they given you any reasons like empirical factual reasons for the decision? What’s the difference?
Bush: Well they’ve been relying on metrics. Metrics that we haven’t even seen that actually solidify their reasons for holding these students back. They have been doing this ever since the summer where they have been safely practicing.
Listen to the full third hour here:
– – –
Tune in weekdays from 5:00 – 8:00 a.m. to the Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy on Talk Radio 98.3 FM WLAC 1510. Listen online at iHeart Radio.
Photo “High School Football” by Bill Rice CC2.0
