State Board amends staff recommendation, directs 1-year retroactive suspension and 1-month prospective discipline for teacher who brought firearm to campus

The Tennessee State Board of Education on Feb. 21 amended the department’s recommended sanction for a teacher, Brenda Smith, who left a loaded firearm in a school staff area and directed staff to negotiate a consent order imposing a one‑year retroactive suspension of her license plus one month of prospective suspension.

Board legal staff had recommended a six‑month retroactive suspension as a negotiated outcome. Ryan Shanahan, associate counsel for the State Board, briefed members that Smith had previously been before the board in November 2024, when the board tabled the matter and asked staff to seek an alternate sanction. Shanahan told the board Smith’s attorney had now consented to a six‑month retroactive suspension; the board voted instead to direct staff to seek a more severe sanction.

The board’s discussion focused on the seriousness of bringing a loaded firearm to a school, the staff recommendation, and precedent for discipline. Marsha Johnson, board member, said she was concerned that a six‑month retroactive sanction would not be sufficient given the potential risk to students and urged a longer penalty. "I just feel like maybe a year's discipline would be more appropriate," Johnson said during the discussion. Several other members, including Ryan Holt and Jordan Molineux, urged the board to consider precedent and…