The "School Board Five," a group of community leaders in Memphis, has reached a settlement with the Memphis-Shelby County School Board (MSCS) over a lawsuit alleging First Amendment violations. As reported by Action News 5, the $200,000 settlement comes after the group was banned from board meetings and accused the district of retaliation for their efforts to demand accountability in the superintendent search process.
In the wake of this legal conclusion, Tikelia Rucker of “Memphis For All” maintained that their actions were necessary, as detailed by Action News 5, “Today, we stand as a reminder that standing up for what’s right is always worth it.” Adding to the discourse, Professor Damon Curry Morris spoke out about the impact of their ostracism on his family and firmly stated, as per WREG, “Money is irrelevant,” Morris said. “As far as what my family had to go through, me having to hire private security for my children, me having to remove six of eight children out of this district because they were being ostracized by actions I decided to take.”
The "School Board Five" group was served with Authorizations of Agency (AoAs) in May 2023, which effectively barred them from attending board meetings or being on district property. They claimed these actions were unfounded and directly attributed to their vocal criticism during the MSCS Superintendent search. As they broke their silence on the settlement yesterday, members of the group highlighted the necessity of their lawsuit not just for themselves but as a rallying cry for those who seek to express concerns without fear of retribution. In a statement detailed by Local Memphis, Rucker said, "Our fight was never just about us—it was about ensuring that every community voice could be heard without fear of retaliation."
The settlement provided financial compensation and signaled a path toward possible collaboration between the activists and the school board. A School Board Five member outlined their forward-looking approach in an interview, according to WREG: “We’re very strategic in how we move and so, we are working with school board members now to put policies in place so that another School Board Five won’t have to go through this and they speak out."
