No field trips for Fayette County students due to low test scores

FAYETTE COUNTY, Tenn. — Parents in Fayette County are upset after hearing the county’s public school system is canceling field trips because of low scores on math and reading.

The announcement was posted on social media by a school board member and parents are just now finding out.

Ashley Turner has children in Fayette County Schools and says the change is unfair.

“They go a few different places. Most of the time educational, and I feel like they’re learning more from the field trips because they’re having fun,” said Turner.

The post by Warner Speakman with Fayette County Public Schools reads, “Due to low test scores, Dr. Hamlett has cancelled all field trips. Teachers have been instructed to concentrate on math and reading.”

Turner believes the school system is to blame for not providing enough teachers.

“They don’t have teachers to teach the kids so how are they going to have higher test scores when half of them… they went a whole year last year without a math teacher,” said Turner.

Fayette County canceling school field trips also comes as a shock to Bart Gilmer. He and his family run Falcon Ridge Farm in Hardeman County, an educational working farm, a popular place for school field trips.

“Personally I think it’s a bad decision. I can’t see a whole lot of advantages for it,” said Gilmer. “On a good year we’ll have 6,000-7,000 kids come out here and experience life on the farm and get to see some stuff that they may have never seen before and may never get to see again.”

Gilmer says many students have come from Fayette County and teachers would have already started making reservations.

He says no reservations means no revenue.

“We would certainly take a hit,” said Gilmer. “I don’t see where taking the field trips away from them is going to help test scores at the end of the day.”

We reached out to Fayette County Schools for more information, but we have not heard back.

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