TBA Law Blog


Posted by: Julia Wilburn on May 10, 2024

U.S. District Court Judge Aleta Trauger last week ruled that Tennessee teachers can move forward with their lawsuit challenging a three-year-old state law restricting what they can teach about race, gender and bias. The lawsuit claims that the language of the law is unconstitutionally vague and that the state’s enforcement plan is subjective. The statute restricts teachers from discussing 14 concepts that the legislature deemed "cynical" or "divisive." Chalkbeat reports that Trauger also cited shortcomings of related rules, developed by the state education department, to outline the processes for filing and investigating complaints, appealing decisions and levying punishment that could strip teachers of their licenses and school districts of state funding.