Tonyaa Weathersbee
Chalkbeat Tennessee
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Past articles by Tonyaa:
Retention rule in reading law could hold back over 2,700 MSCS 3rd-graders, official warns
According to reading assessment results from last winter, 2,787 MSCS third-graders are at risk of being held back. → Read More
Contracts for Memphis Shelby County Schools security upgrades await board approval
The proposed upgrades to security technology come as Gov. Bill Lee pushes a school safety bill that would penalize schools for leaving entrances unlocked. → Read More
MSCS board backs land purchase for new Cordova high school under ‘three G’s’ settlement
The Memphis-Shelby County Schools board took a step toward building the first new high school operated by the district in 10 years and fulfilling a pact with Germantown. → Read More
Tyre Nichols’ death in Memphis creates another tragic teaching moment for Facing History & Ourselves
A leader of Facing History & Ourselves spoke to Chalkbeat about how teachers of its curriculum in Memphis and Shelby County schools are helping students understand the history of police brutality, and the killing of Tyre Nichols by Memphis police officers. → Read More
Memphis-Shelby County Schools board picks Illinois firm Hazard Young to lead superintendent search
The MSCS board will look to Hazard, Young, Attea, and Associates to find a replacement for former superintendent Joris Ray. The firm has successfully placed superintendents for big urban districts, but its record isn’t perfect. → Read More
Tyre Nichols’ killing has some Black teens seeing police as threats, not allies
Some Black teens say Tyre Nichols’ slaying makes them believe instructions on how to behave around police to avoid being killed don’t matter. → Read More
MSCS board member Michelle McKissack makes it official: She’s running for Memphis mayor
McKissack was part of a “pink wave” election in 2018 that propelled women to a majority on the nine-member Memphis-Shelby County School Board. → Read More
Chalkbeat Tennessee bureau chief recalls roots in education fairness fight
I began first grade in a segregated, unaccredited school system. But while Jacksonville’s schools ultimately changed, new inequities are reemerging all over the nation, at a time when changing demographics demand that we fight for equity. → Read More
Cummings students will stay at LaRose Elementary as delays slow repair of collapsed library ceiling
Cummings K-8 Optional School students were switched to LaRose Elementary when a library ceiling collapsed in August, and they’ll stay there through the end of the year. → Read More
MSCS superintendent search advisory committee wants to hear from more citizens
MSCS’ superintendent search advisory committee resolved to ask the search firm that’ chosen to do additional surveys to capture the leanings of students and businesspeople. The decision came amid concerns that the search process seemed rushed. → Read More
MSCS and Germantown school boards back ‘three G’s’ settlement, ending 10-year dispute
The Memphis-Shelby County Schools board and the Germantown Municipal School District board voted to end a decade-old dispute in a settlement that will mean a new MSCS high school in Cordova. → Read More
Shelby County Commission approves pact to transfer ‘three G’ schools to Germantown
With the Shelby County Commission supporting an agreement to switch ownership of Germantown elementary and middle schools from MSCS and to build a high school in Cordova, a decade-old conflict is just two steps away from ending. → Read More
Germantown city leaders approve settlement to take over ‘three G’ schools from MSCS
A conflict that erupted nearly a decade ago inched toward a resolution Monday, as Germantown city leaders signed off on an agreement that would transfer ownership of Germantown Elementary and Middle schools from MSCS. → Read More
Amid MSCS’ national superintendent search, some in Whitehaven push for a local candidate
A recent meeting in Whitehaven hosted by Beverly Davis, a member of the superintendent search advisory committee, turned out to be a chance for residents to tout Empowerment Zone leader Vincent Hunter for the job. → Read More
Flu outbreak threatens more disruptions for Tennessee schools
As Tennessee schools help students regain learning they lost during the pandemic, flu outbreaks may disrupt that effort. → Read More
Cleared of wrongdoing, two top MSCS officials opt to leave their posts
John Barker, MSCS deputy superintendent for strategic operations and finance, and Yolanda Martin, MSCS chief of human resources, quit their jobs after being placed on leave during probes of complaints against them → Read More
MSCS board will launch national superintendent search this month
For the first time in a decade, the MSCS board plans to launch a national superintendent search and hopes to choose someone by the end of the school year. → Read More
Memphis-Shelby County Schools board taps Althea Greene as chair
Althea Greene, a minister and former educator who was vice chair of the board, will lead through the search for a new superintendent. → Read More