Title 49, Education

(1) As used in this part, unless the context otherwise requires:(1) “Dangerous weapon” or “weapon” means any dangerous instrument or substance that is capable of inflicting any injury on any person;(2) “Drug” means any controlled substance, controlled substance analogue, marijuan…

(a) It is the intent of the general assembly in enacting this part to secure a safe environment in which the education of the students of this state may occur. (b) The general assembly recognizes the position of the schools in loco parentis and the responsibility this places on p…

(a) (1) When individual circumstances in a school dictate, a principal may order that vehicles parked on school property by students or visitors, containers, packages, lockers or other enclosures used for storage by students or visitors, and other areas accessible to students or …

(a) (1) A student may be subject to physical search because of the results of a locker search, or because of information received from a teacher, staff member, student or other person if such action is reasonable to the principal.(2) A search conducted pursuant to this subsection…

(a) (a) As used in this section, “school security officer” means an individual who is employed exclusively by the local school board or LEA for the purpose of:(1) Maintaining order and discipline;(2) Preventing crime;(3) Investigating violations of school board policies;(4) Retur…

To facilitate a search that is found to be necessary of students, school visitors, containers or packages, metal detectors and other devices designed to indicate the presence of dangerous weapons, drug paraphernalia or drugs may be used in searches, including hand-held models tha…

To facilitate a search that is found to be necessary, dogs or other animals trained to detect drugs or dangerous weapons by odor or otherwise may be used in conducting searches, but the animals shall be used only to pinpoint areas needed to be searched and shall not be used to se…

(a) It is the duty of a school principal who has reasonable suspicion to believe, either as a result of a search or otherwise, that any student is committing or has committed any violation of title 39, chapter 17, part 4, § 39-17-1307, or § 39-17-1309 upon the school grounds or w…

(a) Each public high school shall provide students who are enrolled in a United States government and civics course with three (3) civic engagement field days, one (1) for each of the three (3) distinct branches of government. A civic engagement field day required pursuant to thi…

Any dangerous weapon or drug located by the principal or other staff member in the course of a search shall be turned over to the appropriate law enforcement officer for proper disposal.

(a) The LEA shall defend principals and teachers against whom suit is brought on account of any action taken in accordance with this part if:(1) The employees cooperate in the defense of the suit; and(2) In the opinion of the LEA, the actions taken were not the result of willful,…

(a) (1) The department of education shall establish and maintain an orientation and training program for LEAs and public charter schools, or approve an orientation and training program conducted by a licensed attorney for LEAs and public charter schools, to inform school administ…

(a) (1) A student may be subject to testing for the presence of drugs in the student's body in accordance with this section and the policy of the LEA if there are reasonable indications to the principal that such student may have used or be under the influence of drugs. The need …

(a) Notwithstanding another law to the contrary, a county or municipality may enter into a contract or memorandum of understanding with a nonpublic school authorizing the county's or municipality's law enforcement agency to provide school resource officers to the nonpublic school…

(a) The LEAs of this state are authorized to promulgate and adopt rules and regulations to prohibit the activities of criminal gangs on school property. The rules and regulations may prohibit students in grades six through twelve (6-12) from:(1) Wearing, while on school property,…

(a) Training courses for school resource officers shall be designed specifically for school policing and shall be administered by an entity or organization approved by the peace officers standards and training (POST) commission. (b) School resource officers shall participate in f…

Each LEA is encouraged to cause proper signs to be posted on school grounds and school parking lots that prohibit any person from operating or driving a motor vehicle or truck at a rate of speed in excess of ten miles per hour (10 mph).

Any law enforcement agency providing a school resource officer, school security officer or other law enforcement officer providing security at a school shall have a policy regulating the use of electronic control devices, which policy shall address training in the proper use of s…

(a) (1) A teacher who observes or otherwise has knowledge of an assault and battery or an act of vandalism endangering life, health, or safety committed by a student on school property shall immediately report such action to the principal of the teacher's school.(2) A principal w…

(a) The department of education, in collaboration with the department of safety, shall establish a Tennessee school safety center to develop and evaluate training materials and guidelines on school safety issues, including behavior, discipline and violence prevention. (b) The Ten…

(a) As used in this section, “classroom evacuation” means the removal of some or all students from a classroom or instructional area due to the violent, aggressive, or severely disruptive behavior of another student that creates a safety concern or substantially interrupts classr…

Every teacher in the special school district created by § 37-5-119 is authorized to hold every juvenile pupil strictly accountable for any disorderly conduct in school.

(a) The chief administrative officer, or the chief administrative officer's designee, of any institution in which the schools are located, may use corporal punishment in a reasonable manner and in accordance with this part against any pupil for good cause in order to maintain dis…

(a) The department of children's services shall adopt rules and regulations that specifically designate the method of imposing corporal punishment and the circumstances that warrant corporal punishment in the schools within its special school district. The rules and regulations s…

(a) Within forty-eight (48) hours of the imposition of corporal punishment within the special school district, the pupil shall have the right to be examined by a physician to determine if the punishment was excessive. (b) In any case in which the punishment is excessive, the pupi…

(1) The general assembly finds and declares that:(1) A safe and civil environment is necessary for students to learn and achieve high academic standards;(2) Harassment, intimidation, bullying or cyber-bullying, like other disruptive or violent behavior, is conduct that disrupts a…

(1) As used in this part:(1) “Cyber-bullying” means bullying undertaken through the use of electronic devices;(2) “Electronic devices” include, but are not limited to, telephones, cellular phones or other wireless telecommunication devices, personal digital assistants (PDAs), com…

(a) Each school district shall adopt a policy prohibiting harassment, intimidation, bullying or cyber-bullying. School districts are encouraged to develop the policy after consultation with parents and guardians, school employees, volunteers, students, administrators and communit…

Each LEA shall adopt a policy prohibiting harassment, intimidation, bullying, and cyber-bullying and is encouraged to review the policy at least once every three (3) years.

(a) A school employee, student or volunteer may not engage in reprisal or retaliation against a victim of, witness to, or person with reliable information about an act of harassment, intimidation, bullying or cyber-bullying. (b) A school employee, student or volunteer who witness…

School districts are encouraged to form harassment, intimidation, bullying or cyber-bullying prevention task forces, programs and other initiatives involving school employees, students, administrators, volunteers, parents, guardians, law enforcement and community representatives.

(a) At or near the beginning of each school year, the board of education of each LEA shall be responsible for informing all pupils in grades seven through twelve (7-12), inclusive, of the Juvenile Offender Act, compiled in title 55, chapter 10, part 7. This shall be accomplished …

This act is known and may be cited as the “Teen Social Media and Internet Safety Act.”

(1) As used in this part, unless the context otherwise requires:(1) “Department” means the department of education;(2) “Internet” means the combination of computer facilities and electromagnetic transmission media, and related equipment and software, comprising the interconnected…

(a) (1) By January 1, 2026, the department shall develop guidance for LEAs and public charter schools to instruct students in grades six through twelve (6-12) who are enrolled in the LEA or public charter school on social media and internet safety.(2) The department shall update …

(a) The social media and internet safety guidance developed in § 49-6-4603(a) must include:(1) Time management and healthy behaviors on social media;(2) The negative effects of social media on mental health, including addiction to social media;(3) The distribution of information …

Beginning with the 2025-2026 school year, each LEA and public charter school shall prohibit students from accessing a social media platform using the internet access provided by the LEA or public charter school, except when expressly authorized by a teacher for educational purpos…

(a) The commissioner of health is authorized to designate diseases against which children must be immunized prior to attendance at any school, nursery school, kindergarten, preschool or child care facility of this state. (b) (1) It is the responsibility of the parents or guardian…

(a) Proof of immunization shall be established by a certificate of immunization listing all immunizations that a child has received. The certificates shall be signed by a physician or a health care provider administering immunizations. All certificates of immunization shall be on…

(a) The department of health shall create a plan to protect young Tennesseans against Hepatitis B by immunization and to prevent the spread of the disease. (b) The department shall also promulgate the necessary rules to add Hepatitis B to the schedule of immunizations required fo…

(a) Upon registration or as early as is otherwise possible and appropriate, public schools, nursery schools, kindergartens, preschools or child care facilities are encouraged to make reasonable efforts to apprise parents of the health benefits of obtaining appropriate eye, hearin…

(a) LEAs shall ensure that schools provide parents and guardians with information about meningococcal disease and the effectiveness of vaccination against meningococcal disease at the beginning of every school year. This information shall include the causes, symptoms and means by…

(a) Boards of education are authorized to establish and maintain night schools for persons who are over eleven (11) years of age, under rules and regulations prescribed by the state board of education. (b) Boards of education are authorized to establish and maintain night schools…

(a) To facilitate the identification and tracking of students from school to school and LEA to LEA, and to facilitate and make more efficient the keeping of records, all students shall be assigned a personal identification number upon entry into a Tennessee public school. (b) To …

(a) The general assembly finds that:(1) Students, teachers, employees, and contractors of public schools and LEAs do not shed their constitutional rights to freedom of speech and expression while at school or work;(2) Protecting the right to free speech for students, teachers, em…

It is the responsibility of the director of schools or chief administrative officer in every LEA to forward to the department of education a complete listing of the names and identification numbers of each student in attendance at the time and in the manner specified by the commi…