Want to make a difference?
Use your VOICE and your VOTE to make a postive difference for students in TN. Contact your elected officials and tell them your issues. Politely pester them to fix the laws and policies.
Important People to Politely Pester:
- Your elected school board members for your school district (you should be able to Google to find their info)
- Your TN House of Representative and your Senator (click HERE to find that info)
- Your U.S. Federal House of Representative and Senator (click HERE to find that info)
- Governor of Tennessee, Bill Lee: Office of Governor Bill Lee 1st Floor, State Capitol Nashville, TN 37243 Primary (615) 741-2001 (Click HERE for contact form)
- TN State Board of Education, all appointed by Governor (click HERE for their contact info)
- President of the U.S.
Ways to Politely Pester them:
There are many ways to have your voice heard. Be sure to tell your elected official that you are a VOTER in their district. It is a good idea to follow up with them a week or so later, too.
There are many ways to have your voice heard. Be sure to tell your elected official that you are a VOTER in their district. It is a good idea to follow up with them a week or so later, too.
- Email them
- Phone call to their office
- Stop by their office to chat
- Schedule an appointment to meet with them
- Talk to their Mommas Seriously, they might just listen to their Mommas!
- Mail them a letter (it really works better than you'd think!)
Some talking points to consider:
- High-stakes testing: How does it affect your child and school? How much time does it take for test prep and actual testing? If your school board hasn't yet applied for a waiver from the TNDOE to exempt students from this year's TNReady scores on their final report cards, then ask them when they are going to do it.
- Data Mining: Where is all the data going? Who has access to it and why? Is your child's personal info safe with the government? Are your children being given surveys without your permission?
- Charter schools: Why are charter schools allowed to drain money and high-achieving students from your community's school, yet they have worse results than public schools? Why are charters allowed to kick out students to public schools?
- Teacher morale: How many great teachers have left your school? Do you think it is wrong for teachers to be evaluated by student test scores?
- Public School funding: Are your school PTA/PTO/Boosters fundraising for things to sustain your school? Are your fundraising dollars going to pay for technology to test, staff to teach, facility needs, etc.? Have non-tested subjects been cut or reduced?
- Class sizes: Have class sizes increased at your schools to pay for the unfunded testing mandates from the state?
- No vouchers: You don't want public money going to unaccountable, private institutions. Why won't they fully fund public schools instead of private schools?
- Opt-Out Bill: Tennessee needs a Parental Rights Bill that specifically states that parents have the right to opt-out/refuse testing with no penalties to students or districts.
- This Resolution: Knox County School Board unanimously adopted a Resolution against using the TNReady for teacher evaluations. Tullahoma School Board also adopted a Resolution. Share them with your school district board members and your legislators and encourage them to do the same.
