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Tennessee’s largest teacher organization, which recently challenged two new state laws affecting educators, has quietly dropped its lawsuit about payroll dues deduction, while its other lawsuit over classroom censorship moves ahead in federal court.
The Tennessee Education Association asked a state court to dismiss its case challenging a 2023 law that prohibits local school districts from making payroll deductions for employees’ professional association dues.
A three-judge panel, which had let the payroll ban proceed while the case was being tried, granted the association’s request for a dismissal Monday.
Meanwhile, a federal judge has set a Dec. 12 meeting with all parties in the organization’s other lawsuit to discuss how that case will proceed. The teachers group has joined with five public school educators to challenge a 2021 state law restricting teachers from discussing certain concepts about race and gender with their students.