Tennessee Education Department Addresses Application Issues

NASHVILLE, TN - The Tennessee Department of Education (TDOE) has released a statement addressing reported issues with applications for the new Education Freedom Scholarship Program.

According to the TDOE, the program experienced a "temporary issue" with its email server on the first day of the rollout. The department stated that this issue was "resolved immediately" and that all affected applicants have received a correction email.

"Due to enormous interest in the Education Freedom Scholarship Program, TDOE experienced a temporary issue with the email server yesterday that was resolved immediately," the statement read. "Every applicant who received an incorrect confirmation has received a correction email. In the process, no data or documents were compromised, and all personal information in the application portal is secure. Families will continue to receive confirmation in the normal course."

The TDOE emphasized the program's strong initial reception, noting that it received over 33,000 applications on the first day. The department also reported that families experienced "manageable wait times" in the virtual queue and have provided "positive feedback" about the application process.

"The rollout of the program was a stunning success with more than 33,000 applications received in the first day alone," the TDOE stated. "Families experienced manageable wait times in the virtual queue and have shared positive feedback about the ease of application submission."

The department is encouraging families to continue applying for the program and has provided a link to the application portal and an email address for inquiries.

"Families may log back into the application portal at any time to get a real-time status update," the TDOE said. "We continue to encourage Tennessee families to apply at https://www.tn.gov/education/efs. Families may direct questions to efs.questions@tn.gov.”