A federal judge has temporarily blocked the state of Tennessee's takeover of the Memphis-Shelby County school system after district officials said it could delay the start of the school year or even force building closures.
Chalkbeat Tennessee reports that U.S. District Judge Waverly Crenshaw Jr. granted a temporary restraining order that directs the state and the school district to maintain the status quo that was in place before the takeover law took effect.
Memphis-Shelby County school board members and local officials asked the judge to temporarily halt the oversight board's authority or, at minimum, block its power to disrupt contract payments and fire top district officials ahead of the 2026-27 school year, which begins Aug. 3.
Under the takeover law, the oversight board – which took control July 1 – must approve every purchase over $50,000. Previous district policy allowed the superintendent or a designated deputy to approve contracts under $100,000.
The district argued in its court filing that the oversight board control could significantly hinder the district's’ ability to respond quickly to start-of-school emergencies.
“School cannot be conducted in buildings that do not have functioning air conditioning,” the court filing says. “A lapse of up to three weeks while these expenses are submitted to and approved by the Oversight Board will be detrimental to student instruction.”
The restraining order pauses the takeover board's work indefinitely pending a court hearing, which has not yet been set.
The nine-member oversight board of political appointees has sweeping authority over Tennessee's largest school district, but the board was formed with no existing infrastructure to support its work.
The board has yet to meet in Memphis. It held its first meeting in June in Nashville and was in the process of hiring staff and legal counsel when the temporary restraining order was issued.
In its court filing, the district said the lack of infrastructure leaves the district without a clear process for obtaining timely contract and purchase approvals needed to keep the school year on schedule.
