HB 595 / SB 635

Tired of tyrannical school boards who ignore parents and seem to serve at the pleasure of the National Education Association (NEA)? Is it getting any better? Let’s put a law in place to hold these elected public servants accountable.

This bill would allow registered voters of any county who reside within the geographic boundaries of a Local Education Agency (LEA) to file a petition with the county election commission demanding the recall of a member of the LEA’s local board of education. Many states have recall statutes for local officials. In Tennessee, current state law does not provide any mechanism for the recall of any elected official except in certain municipalities with a charter outlining such a process as in Metro Nashville.

Recalling a public official is a serious matter. It is our position that voters deserve any and all reasonable tools at their disposal to hold elected officials accountable. Additionally, this bill sets a high threshold for the petition, meaning that frivolous attempts to recall officials would likely not succeed.

It is incumbent on Tennessee to protect our children and give them the best chance at success. Allowing voters to hold school board members accountable to that task gets us closer to the mark.