Tennessee Board of Education members said the board will seek to formalize a teacher disciplinary policy in order to prevent inconsistent punishments from being handed down.
According to reports, the board affirmed support last week for a guideline on punishment after a recent investigation by the USA TODAY NETWORK and The Tennessean showed flaws in the teacher background check system.
Staff attorney Philip Cramer said he will help come up with new recommendations that future board members can use when deciding how to punish teachers found guilty of wrongdoing. The board's executive staff has hoped to present a draft for first reading in April.
State board member Wendy Tucker said she hopes the formal document will help create clear guidelines and tougher punishments than have been set in the past.
