NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — A controversial law could end with your child being held back.
A town hall forum was held Tuesday evening at Lee Chapel AME Church about Tennessee's third grade retention law.
The law says that if a third grader doesn't score high enough on the reading section of the state test, they may be held back.
This would mean that 64% of students in Tennessee are at risk of being held back based on the 2021-2022 scores.
Metro School board member Christiane Buggs had some strong words about the bill, saying it's specifically targeting MNPS.
"This is retaliatory legislation after COVID, and our district [along with] the other large, mostly diverse districts in Tennessee converted to virtual learning," Buggs said. "The legislature openly opposed that; they wanted us to move back to in-person learning, and we do strongly believe it is in retaliation, but good can come out of bad.
Buggs also said she believes this is also a push for more school vouchers, also known as the Education Savings Account program. The program gives parents money to help pay for private education instead of sending their kids to public school.
The Education Trust in Tennessee detailed its recommendations to improve the bill. See those details here.
