Tennessee’s Top Education Official Stepping Down Over ‘Extraneous Politics’

Commissioner Penny Schwinn told 'The 74' she has grown tired of culture wars in the classroom

Tennessee Commissioner of Education Dr. Penny Schwinn testified at the House Education Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington on July 23, 2020. Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images

The top education official in Tennessee, Commissioner Penny Schwinn, will leave her position at the end of the school year later this month following four years with the department, Gov. Bill Lee announced on Monday.

In an interview with “The 74,” a news organization that covers America’s education system, Schwinn said she had grown tired of the distracting culture war battles over race and gender in the classroom.