Liz Evan says clergy in Tennessee should be on notice.
It is now a class E felony to engage in sexual contact with anyone they treat for an emotional, mental or physical condition. The new state law, which Evan helped enact, went into effect July 1. Clergy members all need to know that they re going to be held accountable for misusing their power, said Evan, a Clarksville attorney with expertise in criminal law.
A controversial pastor search at Evan s former Southern Baptist church spurred her to act. She new several other states had similar laws and started researching what it would take to add one to Tennessee s books.
Clarksville attorney advocated for new Tennessee clergy sex abuse law jacksonsun.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from jacksonsun.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
The four-to-six-week summer learning programs feature six-hour days and extensive instruction in reading and math.
Fifty school districts across the state were chosen for visits as part of the tour.
Cheatham and Sumner Counties were among the 50, which also included Dickson and Wilson Counties.
All four were visited on June 30.
Cheatham County School Board members, other TDOE officials and Tennessee House Representative Mary Littleton joined the recent tour of Harpeth Middle School, where teachers highlighted their classroom’s unique studies and projects within the summer learning program.
Schwinn and other officials visited the classrooms of Gary Morrison and Karen Carlton, where they engaged with students and assisted them in their class assignments.
State Court Officials Cite Benefits Of New Laws Affecting The Courts Saturday, July 3, 2021
Tennessee lawmakers passed several key pieces of legislation this year that officials said will improve and impact the state’s court system.
State court officials said, From the creation of new three-judge panel to hear certain constitutional challenges to the expansion of recovery courts and safe baby courts, the new laws allow the courts to modernize and innovate. Several pieces of legislation also focus on improving data collection in the state courts and in juvenile courts, which will allow for data driven decision making and better resource allocation while continuing the Administrative Office of the Courts efforts to be a world-class repository of court data from every level of court in the state.