MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The Tennessee Board of Education made some important decisions Thursday for students and parents wondering what will happen with the rest of the school year.
The board met over the phone to take into account social distancing recommendations.
They lowered the number of credits required to graduate from 22 to 20, and those must include four math, four English three science and two social studies.
“This provides flexibility for students who may be missing a half credit of a social studies course or an elective focus,” a BOE official said.
Shelby County School Board member Stephanie Love listened to Thursday’s meeting and especially paid attention to topics affecting the oldest students who are not slated to return to SCS next year.
“We have so many students, especially seniors, where parents are trying to figure out, ‘What do I need to do to ensure my child graduates on time,'” Love said.
As far as final grades for spring semester, the board said they stand at what they were on March 20.
If your child has been working with teachers through remote learning, it’s possible to raise that grade, but there’s no way it could go down.
For Love, questions still remain.
“I’m looking for more guidance on how we change an in-person to a virtual school district to make sure parents are taking advantage,” she said.
Board officials said they could not provide funding for that technology and it would have to come from the Department of Education or the governor’s office.
The board also did not make a decision whether to close schools for the rest of the year. They said they’re making plans for that possibility, but ultimately the schedule is up to the governor or local districts themselves.
WREG contacted SCS officials today for comment but haven’t heard back.
