Title 49, Education

The provisions of this part providing for postsecondary financial assistance from the net proceeds of the state lottery shall not be construed to be an appropriation of funds and no funds shall be obligated or expended pursuant to this part unless the funds are specifically appro…

(a) Notwithstanding any provision of this part to the contrary, a student who is a Tennessee citizen and a dependent child of a military parent shall be eligible for a Tennessee HOPE scholarship as an entering freshman, if the student meets all eligibility requirements for the sc…

(a) As used in this section, unless the context otherwise requires:(1) “Dependent child” means a natural or adopted child of a service member whom such service member claimed as a dependent for federal income tax purposes; provided, however, that the child is under twenty-one (21…

(a) To be eligible for a Tennessee HOPE scholarship as a transfer student from a regionally accredited postsecondary institution located outside of this state, a student shall:(1) Not be ineligible for the scholarship under § 49-4-904;(2) Meet the requirements of § 49-4-905;(3) B…

(a) As used in this section:(1) “Certificate” or “diploma” means a credential, other than a degree, the receipt of which indicates satisfactory completion of training in a technical education program of study offered by an eligible postsecondary institution;(2) “Course” includes …

(a) To be eligible for a Tennessee HOPE scholarship, a nontraditional student shall:(1) Not be ineligible for the scholarship under § 49-4-904;(2) Meet the requirements of § 49-4-905(a). Section 49-4-905(b) shall not apply to nontraditional students seeking Tennessee HOPE scholar…

(a) TSAC may conduct a lottery scholarship day each school year. The purpose of the lottery scholarship day shall be to inform high school students and their parents of financial assistance available from net lottery proceeds for attendance at eligible postsecondary institutions.…

(a) To be eligible for a Tennessee HOPE foster child tuition grant, a student shall:(1) Not be ineligible for the grant under § 49-4-904;(2) Meet the requirements of § 49-4-905;(3) Meet the applicable academic requirements for a Tennessee HOPE scholarship or Tennessee HOPE access…

(a) Notwithstanding any provision of this part to the contrary, a student who is a Tennessee citizen and a dependent child of a full-time religious worker shall be eligible for a Tennessee HOPE scholarship as an entering freshman if the student meets all eligibility requirements …

(a) Notwithstanding § 49-4-905(b)(2) to the contrary, a student who graduates from a high school located in a neighboring state in a county contiguous to this state shall be eligible for a Tennessee HOPE scholarship as an entering freshman if the student:(1) Is a resident of this…

(a) To be eligible for a Tennessee HOPE teacher's scholarship, a teacher shall:(1) Be a tenured teacher teaching in a Tennessee public school system;(2) Not be ineligible for the scholarship under § 49-4-904;(3) Meet the requirements of § 49-4-905(a). Section 49-4-905(b) shall no…

(a) Notwithstanding any provision of this part to the contrary, a student who is eligible for a Tennessee HOPE scholarship upon graduation from high school, completion of high school in a Tennessee home school or obtaining a high school equivalency credential approved by the stat…

(a) This section shall be known and may be cited as the “Helping Heroes Act of 2008.” (b) As used in this section, unless the context otherwise requires, “veteran” means a former member of the United States armed forces or a former or current member of a reserve or Tennessee Nati…

(a) This section shall be known and may be cited as the “Tennessee Rural Health Act of 2008.” (b) There shall be established a five-year pilot program to encourage health care providers and dentists to locate and practice in Tennessee health resource shortage areas after becoming…

(a) The state funding board created by § 9-9-101 shall adopt an investment policy and a funds allocation policy for the lottery for education account established in § 4-51-111 designed to maximize recurring revenues available for appropriation. An amount of funds in the lottery f…

Notwithstanding any provision of this part concerning the terminating events for receipt of Tennessee HOPE scholarships, Tennessee HOPE access grants or Tennessee HOPE scholarships for nontraditional students to the contrary, semester hours attempted by a student in the summer se…

(a) As used in this section:(1) “Dependent child” means a natural or adopted child or stepchild:(A) Whose parent is a headquarters staff employee;(B) Whose parent claims the child as a dependent for federal income tax purposes;(C) Who is under twenty-one (21) years of age; and(D)…

(a) As used in this section, an “eligible postsecondary program” means a postsecondary program that has received the Comprehensive Transition and Postsecondary Program designation from the United States department of education and is offered by an eligible postsecondary instituti…

(a) This section shall be known and may be cited as the “Tennessee reconnect grant.” (b) Except for the definitions provided in this subsection (b), the definitions in § 49-4-902 shall apply to this section:(1) “Academic year” means three (3) consecutive semesters beginning with …

This part shall be known and may be cited as the “Teacher Code of Ethics.”

(1) The general assembly finds and declares that:(1) An educator, believing in the worth and dignity of each human being, recognizes the supreme importance of the pursuit of truth, devotion to excellence, and the nurture of democratic principles. Essential to these goals is the p…

(a) An educator shall strive to help each student realize the student's potential as a worthy and effective member of society. An educator therefore works to stimulate the spirit of inquiry, the acquisition of knowledge and understanding, and the thoughtful formulation of worthy …

(a) The education profession is vested by the public with a trust and responsibility requiring the highest ideals of professional service. In the belief that the quality of the services of the education profession directly influences the nation and its citizens, the educator shal…

The state board of education shall post the teacher code of ethics on its website.

(a) An educator who has personal knowledge of a breach by another educator of the teacher code of ethics prescribed in §§ 49-5-1003 and 49-5-1004 shall report the breach to the educator's immediate supervisor, director of schools, or local board of education within thirty (30) da…

LEAs must conduct annual professional development training concerning the teacher code of ethics and its requirements. The professional development training shall address what constitutes unethical conduct.

(a) (1) An educator shall not engage in any sexually related behavior with:(A) A student enrolled in the school or LEA in which:(i) The educator provides instruction to students, serves as an administrator, or performs any other official duties as an educator, regardless of wheth…

(a) No person shall be employed as principal, teacher or supervisor of any public elementary or high school by any local school district, or receive any pay for such services out of the public school funds of the local school district until the person presents to the director of …

The department of education shall develop an alternative program for obtaining a license to teach by which instructors for any branch of the military service of the United States who have taught for a community college of a branch of the military service may satisfy the requireme…

Beginning with the 2019-2020 school year, the state board of education shall award a teacher five (5) additional professional development points if the teacher's overall evaluation demonstrates an overall performance effectiveness level of “above expectations” or “significantly a…

(a) The standards for a license of qualification for a director of schools shall be in accordance with § 49-2-301. (b) This section does not apply to a director of schools for an innovative school district as defined in § 49-8-1502.

The holder of a license who changes or alters the holder's license in any way, or who permits any other person to change or alter the license, commits a Class C misdemeanor and shall have such holder's license revoked.

(a) It is the intent of the general assembly to urge LEAs and public charter schools to make every effort to staff kindergarten through grade twelve (K-12) teaching positions with personnel fully licensed and endorsed for such grades. (b) After a director of schools or a director…

No person otherwise qualified shall be denied the right to enter training in any college or university or engage in practice teaching for the purpose of becoming a teacher on the ground the person is totally blind or visually limited; nor shall any local board of education refuse…

(a) (1) Complete jurisdiction over the issuance and administration of licenses for supervisors, principals and public school teachers for kindergarten through grade twelve (K-12), including teachers in preschools operated under the authority of chapter 6, part 1 of this title, sh…

(a) The state board of education may enter into reciprocal agreements with the certifying or licensing authorities of other states whereby holders of certificates or licenses in other states may be issued licenses in this state. (b) Prior to entering into a reciprocal agreement w…

(a) (1) To be eligible to receive a limited occupational teaching license, an individual must:(A) Have received a conditional offer of employment from the director of schools or director of the public charter school, as applicable;(B) (i) Have a minimum of five (5) years of relev…

(a) An LEA or public charter school shall not:(1) Require an educator or other employee of the LEA or public charter school to complete or participate in implicit bias training; or(2) Take an adverse employment action against an educator or other employee of the LEA or public cha…

(a) Educational assistants shall have, at a minimum, a high school diploma or high school equivalency credential approved by the state board of education, and shall show demonstrable proficiency in reading and writing skills. (b) If a licensed teacher to whom an educational assis…

(a) Notwithstanding any law to the contrary, the department shall issue a license to teach in grades nine through twelve (9-12) to any person who has taught at an eligible postsecondary institution as defined in § 49-4-902 and who meets the qualifications listed in this section. …

A teacher who, on each of the teacher's last three (3) evaluations conducted pursuant to § 49-1-302(d), received an evaluation demonstrating an overall performance effectiveness level of “significantly above expectations” may petition the commissioner of education for a waiver of…

The state board of education, in consultation with the department of education, shall promulgate rules, in accordance with the Uniform Administrative Procedures Act, compiled in title 4, chapter 5, to establish a pathway for an educator who currently holds a license or endorsemen…

(1) A teacher with a valid license shall not teach a course for which an end-of-course examination is required for students to satisfy graduation requirements established by the state board of education pursuant to § 49-6-6001(a) if the teacher's license does not carry a subject …

(a) The state board of education shall establish a qualified dyslexia interventionist endorsement to allow an educator to provide targeted instructional intervention, academic support, behavioral support, or related services to students demonstrating characteristics of dyslexia. …

(a) It is the duty of the teacher to:(1) Open and close the school each day at the time fixed by the board of education;(2) Give instruction to the pupils only in the subjects covered by the license that the teacher holds;(3) Supervise educational assistants when they are working…

(a) No person who advocates the overthrow of the American form of government or who is a member of a political party subscribing to a political faith that advocates the overthrow of the American form of government shall be employed on either a temporary or permanent basis in any …