Tennessee School Boards and Unions Go Up Against Hillsdale-Affiliated Charter Schools

Three Tennessee school boards denied the application of the American Classical Academy, a K-12 charter school system affiliated with Hillsdale College that provides students with a classic liberal arts education. The American Classical Academy alleges that these decisions are politically motivated and based on its ties to Hillsdale, which is Christian and conservative, as well as comments made by Hillsdale’s president, Larry Arnn.

The American Classical Academy filed appeals with the Tennessee Public Charter School Commission, a group appointed by the governor. In two statements of intent, the American Classical Academy said that the Rutherford and Madison school boards did not “keep politics out of the process” because they did not consider the merits of its application but rather the political and religious views of Hillsdale’s president and the American Classical Academy’s board members.

The charter school system argues that its affiliation with Hillsdale “has nothing to do with the legal requirements or best practices” of approving a charter school. Furthermore, these school districts’ decisions “could be construed” as violating American Classical Academy board members’ freedom of association, the constitutional right to gather and share beliefs with like-minded people.

The school boards’ decisions are the latest battle in Tennessee’s education wars. Amid an ongoing effort to expand charter schools, teachers unions and left-leaning officials are pushing back with messaging campaigns, lobbying, and other efforts.