Tennessee School for the Blind
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| Tennessee School for the Blind | |
|---|---|
| Location | |
 | |
115 Stewarts Ferry Pike , , 37214 United States | |
| Information | |
| Type | K-12 Public School |
| Principal | Jamie Ballard |
| Staff | 29.00 (FTE)[1] |
| Enrollment | 127[1] (2022-23) |
| Student to teacher ratio | 4.38[1] |
| Colors | Royal blue and gold [2] |
| Nickname | Tigers[2] |
| Website | |
Tennessee School for the Blind (Braille: ⠠⠠⠠⠞⠢⠰⠎⠑⠑⠀⠎⠡⠕⠕⠇⠀⠿⠀⠮⠀⠃⠇⠠⠄, TSB, ⠞⠎⠃) is a K–12 public school for blind children in Donelson, Nashville, Tennessee.[3] First founded as a small private school in 1843 by Reverend James Champlin, it was soon established as a state school for the blind in 1844. It is overseen by the Tennessee Department of Education.
Tennessee School for the Blind founder Rev. James Champlin was born in 1920 Bean Station, Tennessee and grew up in Overton County.[4]
From 1944 to 1965, Black students attended the Tennessee School for the Blind at the Rolling Mill Hill campus at 88 Hermitage Avenue, just south of downtown Nashville. White students continued to study at the Claiborne House until 1952, when a new campus was constructed on the Clover Bottom Farm in Donelson, TN. The State of Tennessee purchased the Clover Bottom Farm in 1949 and set aside acreage for the construction of the new campus.[5]
When the school racially integrated in 1965, about 30 Black students integrated with about 150 white students at the Clover Bottom campus, leaving the Rolling Mill Hill campus empty.[6] An alumnus, Ralph Brewer, stated that he did not recall problems that occurred as a result of desegregation.[6]
The State of Tennessee continued to own the disused Rolling Mill Hill campus. Alumni of the Tennessee School for the Blind argued for preserving the building after the Nashville Metropolitan government made a proposal to demolish it with the intention to build the Nashville School of the Arts on the property.[6] In 2017 the Tennessee Historical Commission ruled that it was eligible to be a historic property. Historic Nashville Inc. made efforts to help preserve the property.[7]
Campus
The school has dormitory facilities.[8]
