Friday Recap for September 20th, 2024
Hey all,
I hope you all have a great weekend. It was a relatively slow week this week.
Williamson County Citizens has an interview with Jeff Hughes this week.
Kelly Jackson has a new home of her own TruthWire News. Check out her writings.
Bill
Williamson County Election Commission
There were no meetings this week. Some important dates to be aware of:
October 7th is the last day to register to vote in the November 5th election. Go here for full information.
Early voting is from October 16th to October 31st. For locations, go here.
Election Day November 5th. For locations, go here.
Next week there is a meeting on the 26th at 3:00 pm at 405 Downs Blvd. Agenda.
Williamson County School District
There were two meetings this week, both on Monday. First was the public meeting for Family Life Curriculum which is mandated for every September. About 24 people attended and the ones who reported to me were very pleased with what they saw. There are eight Tennessee Codes that govern the instruction for Family Life in our schools, and they are as follows. I have included a few paragraphs for each code that captures the intent of the entire code and you can read the entire code by clicking on them:
Tenn. Code 49-6-1301
Paragraph 6 "Family life education" means an abstinence-centered sex education program that builds a foundation of knowledge and skills relating to character development, human
development, decision making, abstinence, contraception and disease prevention.
Tenn. Code 49-6-1302
Paragraph C1 Prior to adopting a family life curriculum, each LEA shall conduct at least one (1) public hearing, at which time the program must be explained to members of the public, and the public must have the opportunity to speak and express their opinions and concerns. The LEA shall schedule a public hearing not less than once each September.
Tenn. Code 49-6-1303
Paragraph b An LEA shall not utilize the services of any individual or organization to assist in teaching family life if that individual or organization endorses student non-abstinence as an appropriate or acceptable behavior, or if that individual or organization promotes gateway sexual activity.
Tenn. Code 49-6-1304
Paragraph A. 1-3 A family life curriculum shall, to the extent that the topic and the manner of communication is age-appropriate:
- Emphatically promote only sexual risk avoidance through abstinence, regardless of a student's current or prior sexual experience.
- Encourage sexual health by helping students understand how sexual activity affects the whole person including the physical, social, emotional, psychological, economic and educational consequences of nonmarital sexual activity.
- Teach the positive results of avoiding sexual activity, the skills needed to make healthy decisions, the advantages of and skills for student success in pursuing educational and life goals, the components of healthy relationships, and the social science research supporting the benefits of reserving the expression of human sexual activity for marriage.
Tenn. Code 49-6-1305
Paragraph A Not less than thirty (30) days prior to commencing instruction of the family life curriculum, each LEA shall notify parents or legal guardians of students whom the LEA anticipates will be present for instruction in sex education.
Tenn. Code 49-6-1306
Paragraph A Notwithstanding any other law to the contrary, a parent or legal guardian of a student enrolled in family life may file a complaint with the director of schools if the parent or legal guardian believes that a teacher, instructor, or representative of an organization has not complied with the requirements of this part. The director shall investigate the complaint and report such director's findings, along with any recommendations for disciplinary action, to the local board for further action. The local board shall file, in a timely manner, a report with the commissioner regarding any action or inaction taken. On an annual basis, the commissioner shall transmit those filings to the chair of the education committee of the senate and the chair of the education instruction committee of the house of representatives.
Tenn. Code 49-6-1307
Other law to the contrary, and regardless of the title or designated name of a particular class or course, any instruction in sex education or sexual activity shall comply with the requirements of this part; provided, however, that nothing in this part shall be construed so as to prohibit the scientific study of the sexual reproductive system through coursework in biology, physiology, anatomy, health, or physical education.
Tenn. Code 49-6-1308
Paragraph b1 A student's parent or legal guardian, or the student if the student is at least eighteen (18) years of age, must provide a written, informed, and voluntarily signed consent to the student's LEA or public charter school for the student to receive instruction of a sexual orientation curriculum or gender identity curriculum. A student's parent or legal guardian, or the student if the student is at least eighteen (18) years of age, may withdraw the parent's, legal guardian's, or student's consent at any time before the student receives instruction of a sexual orientation curriculum or gender identity curriculum.
The next meeting was the full board meeting on Monday Agenda Video. It was pretty uneventful. Josh Brown was chosen as board chair and Dan Cash was voted vice chair. All of the agenda items passed easily.
Williamson County Commission
There were only two meetings this week. Tax study committee on Tuesday and Law enforcement and public safety on Wednesday. I don’t have agendas for either of these.
Next week looks like this.
Board of Mayor and Aldermen
Monday was Design Review Agenda Video Wednesday was Franklin Public Arts Commission Agenda.
Next week BOMA meets for work session and board meeting Here.
If not me, who?
If not now, when?
“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen (Heb. 11:1)