{
  "id": 19404834,
  "title": "Temporary pause on Memphis schools state takeover continues until December",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/10/temporary-pause-on-memphis-schools-state-takeover-continues-until",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-11-10T21:23:26.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Chalkbeat",
    "slug": "chalkbeat",
    "url": "https://www.chalkbeat.org/tennessee/2026/11/10/state-takeover-of-memphis-schools-remains-paused-until-december/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The temporary halt on the state takeover of Memphis-Shelby County Schools (MSCS) is set to continue until at least December. This pause is due to a local lawsuit filed by the district, which is currently being addressed in court. Shelby County Chancery Judge JoeDae L. Jenkins has not yet ruled on the state leaders' requests to dismiss the lawsuit and dissolve the temporary block on the oversight board that was initially established three weeks ago.\n\nThe pause on the takeover took effect just days after a federal judge allowed the oversight board to commence its work in mid-October. The local lawsuit, however, has been updated to no longer claim that the state takeover law violates the Tennessee Constitution. Instead, the district argues that the takeover was implemented without sufficient evidence of its qualification and that it will have a detrimental impact on its operations.\n\nDuring a hearing on Tuesday, MSCS representative Allan Wade pointed out that the district did not meet four of the six student achievement criteria required for a state takeover. These criteria, including TCAP results and chronic absenteeism rates, had not been finalized in May when Education Commissioner Lizzette Reynolds announced the state takeover. Additionally, the district had only had two interim superintendents in the past four years, as opposed to the required three, according to the law. Wade emphasized that these threshold issues must be resolved before proceeding with the takeover.\n\nState lawyer James Newsom countered that the disputes over the criteria should have been addressed to the Tennessee Department of Education first, according to state law. He argued that filing the claims under the wrong statute and in the wrong court means the case should be dismissed entirely. Jenkins indicated that both parties will present more detailed arguments on the procedural questions during the upcoming hearing scheduled for December 2.",
  "summary": "Did you know search engines like Google are changing the way you see news? Keep Chalkbeat’s valuable education coverage at the top of your feeds by clicking here and checking the box next to our name. The state takeover of Memphis-Shelby County Schools will remain paused until at least December as a local lawsuit plays out . Shelby County Chancery Judge JoeDae L. Jenkins did not rule Tuesday on…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}