At its April 24, 2025, meeting the Dickson County School Board voted to postpone a decision on whether CNN 10 and similar news segments should remain in the district’s middle-school careers curriculum. The board made the decision after more than an hour of public comment and board discussion and after the administration provided guidance asking teachers to preview and limit external news segments to portions that directly connect to career standards.

The board’s action came after several parents and residents said the daily 10‑minute CNN 10 segments shown in career classes are biased or inappropriate for that classroom context. Michelle Harris, identified in public comment as a parent, told the board that she and her husband reviewed a month of CNN 10 episodes and found “one‑sided opinion that was stated as fact,” calling the package “biased and or false at best and flat‑out indoctrination at worst.” Dennis Folz, introduced as a Dickson resident, said he worried that the district’s regular use of the program “is branding for a new generation of potential viewers” and urged the board to stop using it in classrooms.

Board member Aaron Parker read guidance the administration had circulated to career teachers, saying teachers should preview news segments and “use only the parts directly specific to career industry that clearly links to careers and standards” and should not assign entire episodes if only a portion is relevant. Parker said the guidance was drafted by the district’s secondary director, Misty Marvin.

Board member Chadwick moved to remove CNN 10 and other news programs from district use; other board members proposed narrowing that motion to remove only political or news content rather than removing specific providers. Before the board could vote on removing news content, board member Miss Brogdon moved to postpone the matter to the next board meeting so the administration could gather more information. The motion to postpone passed with Brogdon, Haley, Lampley, Parker and Thill voting yes and Chadwick voting no. The board did not change the district’s current, written guidance while the issue is studied.

Why it matters: Parents and residents framed their objections as concerns about bias and age‑appropriateness in required class time. Administration guidance—already sent to career teachers—directs teachers to preview external content and to limit class assignments to portions that directly connect to state career standards. Board members who supported postponement said they wanted time to review the administration’s steps and to see proposed administrative procedures for how news or external resources are screened and used.

What’s next: The board will revisit the topic at its next regular meeting. The administration will compile the guidance it has shared with teachers and prepare recommended procedures for previewing and selecting external media for career classes. In the meantime, the district guidance circulated by the secondary director remains in effect.

Quote attribution rules: Quotes in this story are from speakers recorded on the meeting transcript and are attributed to the speaker who spoke on the record.