The 113th General Assembly has adjourned for 2024, and it was a very successful year. We have taken measures for Tennessee to be a better place to live, work and to raise a family. This is some of the legislation that was passed during this session.
Improving access to charter school facilities - Legislation passed to ensure public charter school students have access to the same quality facilities as other public school students. The new law requires school districts to regularly provide a list of vacant and underutilized properties and make them available to public charter schools at a fair market value. The change will provide charter schools with improved access to underutilized and vacant buildings that school districts are not using.
ELA support services for fifth-grade students - Lawmakers passed legislation this year creating a pathway for fourth-grade students facing retention to be promoted to fifth grade, while also ensuring students facing literacy challenges will continue to receive additional supports.
Under this new law, if a student does not show adequate growth on their fourth grade English Language Arts (ELA) Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program (TCAP), then the parents, teacher, and principal – the individuals closest to the student – will consult to determine if the student should be held back or advance to the fifth grade with mandatory year-long tutoring through the Tennessee Accelerating Literacy and Learning Corps (TALLC).
Each year, students take the TCAP and other diagnostic tests to determine if they are meeting grade-level standards. As a result of legislation passed in 2023, third-grade students’ whose ELA scores do not meet grade-level standards are required to complete summer school or tutoring in order to be promoted to fourth grade. That law also requires students who used an alternative pathway for fourth-grade promotion to demonstrate adequate growth on their fourth-grade English Language Arts TCAP or be retained in the fourth grade. This new law provides an alternative pathway to fifth-grade promotion for fourth-grade students with below-grade level ELA TCAP scores.
Empowering parents in their child’s education – Lawmakers passed legislation that empowers parents to have the final say if they want to hold their child back from the next grade. The new law allows parents and guardians to hold back their child from the next grade without the approval of the school board if their child has a learning or behavioral delay.
Increasing credit for work-based learning - Legislation passed this session to promote work-based learning by increasing the number of available credit hours for high school work-based learning programs from three yearly credits to six. The new law also clarifies that to qualify for these credits, a weekly minimum of 15 hours on the worksite must be met. This legislation will help equip students for the workforce while also earning more credits for their graduation requirements.
Extended ACT WorkKeys Program - Lawmakers approved legislation to make the ACT WorkKeys Pilot Program permanent in order to provide students with more choices to identify career pathways. It requires LEAs and public charter schools to provide each high school senior the opportunity to take nationally recognized career readiness assessments.
The Mathematics Support Act - This year, lawmakers passed legislation that creates a mathematics expert review committee to evaluate and report on the landscape of mathematics instruction. The legislation also identifies professional development options available to improve instruction and student proficiency. It requires the Department of Education to approve at least one standards-aligned mathematics professional development course for K-8 teachers. The law is a step towards improving proficiency in math for Tennessee students.
Exploring Algebra II Substitutes - A new law seeks to consider possible substitutes for the current Algebra II math requirement for high schoolers. The measure directs the State Board of Education in collaboration with the Department of Education (DOE) and Tennessee Higher Education Commission (THEC) to identify potential math course substitutes for Algebra II substitutes. Currently, only 10 states require Algebra II as a graduation requirement.
Expanding CTE class size - To help provide more students with access to career development, a new law increases class size for CTE courses. Previous class size maximums were 25 students. This law allows Local Education Agencies (LEAs) to expand CTE class size in grades 6-8 to an average of 30 and a maximum of 35 students.
Firearm safety education in public schools - Under a new measure, students will be provided with age and grade-appropriate instruction on firearm safety as part of the existing safety training currently offered in public schools. The curriculum includes: safe storage information, how to identify a firearm, the safety risks associated with them, and notifying an adult if one is found. The Department of Education and Department of Safety, in consultation with the Tennessee Fish and Wildlife Commission, will determine the earliest appropriate grade for students to begin receiving education related to firearm safety. The instruction will continue through the 12th grade.
Notifying parents of gender identity changes - To protect parental rights and continue efforts to address gender identities of children in school, new legislation passed ensures parents are made aware if their child asks for accommodations in school to affirm their gender identity. This builds on efforts last year as the General Assembly passed a Senate Bill which protects teachers from being disciplined, fired or held civilly liable when asked to use pronouns not consistent with a student’s biological gender.
The Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act - Lawmakers passed legislation to support healthy kids in school and allow whole milk to be sold in schools. Under federal rules during the Obama administration, whole milk could not be distributed in schools. Under The Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act, schools can now have a dispenser for whole milk options. Whole milk has been shown to help with calcium absorption in children.
Safe school traffic – Legislation passed this year that allows counties to hire employees or use volunteers to direct vehicles within a marked school zone. Under the new law, anyone who serves as a traffic director is required to undergo training and use the appropriate safety apparel and equipment. It also authorizes counties to close roads within certain hours of the day for easier and safer pickup and drop-off zones.
Full pay for teachers assaulted on the job - Under a new law approved this year, all public and charter schools are required to pay employees their full salary or average pay and full benefits if they were physically assaulted on the job and unable to work as a result. There were 1,918 cases of assault and 71 cases of aggravated assault against teachers and staff during the 2022-23 school year, according to the 2024 Tennessee Safe Schools Report.
Ensuring well-equipped teachers for students - A new law ensures teachers are equipped to teach certain courses. It requires unlicensed teachers to be issued temporary teaching permits by the Department of Education Commissioner in order to teach courses that have a required end-of-course exam. While it is always preferable to only have qualified teachers with valid licenses teaching courses, occasionally districts encounter situations where they need more flexibility with hard-to-staff teaching positions. This ensures that temporary teaching permits are used only as a last resort by districts.
Parental leave for charter school employees - A new law passed this year ensures public charter school employees receive the same parental leave benefits as public school teachers. The parental leave policy now grants six weeks of paid parental leave to staff employed with an LEA and staff at public charter schools following the birth or adoption of their child. The leave must qualify under the Family and Medical Leave Act, according to the law. This new law expands on action taken by the General Assembly last year when lawmakers approved similar legislation for public school teachers.
School nurses - To increase the transparency of the number of school nurses in Tennessee, a new law requires a local education agency that does not contract or hire at least one nurse for every 750 students to submit a report to the Department of Education explaining their decision. State law requires each school district to have at least one permanent, full-time school nurse. More than 450 schools across the state currently do not have one.
Accepting cash at school events - A new law ensures that cash can be used as payment at public school athletic events. It requires organizers of public school athletic events to accept cash for admission or the purchase of concessions or other items for sale at the event. The law also prohibits organizers of these events from charging a cash price that exceeds the price if paid by credit or debit card.
Sen. Joey Hensley, R-Hohenwald, gives a weekly update in legislation in the 113th General Assembly.
This article originally appeared on The Daily Herald: Hensley update: General Assembly passes laws to help Tennessee schools
