With the current session of the Tennessee General Assembly suspended indefinitely
due to the COVID-19 pandemic, all legislation that did not require immediate passage
to deal with its repurcussions has been put on hold until the legislature reconvenes. A
long-awaited bill to address student discipline had just been calendared in the House
and Senate Education Committees, and several bills were being considered to address
unintended consequences of previous legislation to lower rates of suspensions. There
is also legislation to confer civil immunity on edcuators who use reasonable force to
correct or restrain a student or prevent bodily harm or death to another person.
We have heard very positive feedback from members on Rep. Van Huss’s bill to
end portfolios for non-tested grades and subjects. Although teachers had asked for
2020 EDUCATION
STUDENT DISCIPLINE LEGISLATION
SB2252 / HB2134 - “Teachers Discipline Act” (J. Hensley / S. Cepicky)
The legislation authorizes a teacher to manage the teacher’s classroom, discipline students,
and refer a student to the principal or the principal’s designee to maintain discipline in the
classroom. It authorizes a teacher to remove a student from the classroom whose behavior
interferes with the learning process, violates the student code of conduct, or poses a safety
threat, and establishes the process for a student’s removal and return to the classroom.
Children cannot learn in a classroom where their teachers spend a significant amount of
time dealing with student discipline issues. It can be unsafe, for the teacher and the other
students, and significantly disrupts the learning environment. We need a better process for our
discipline issues to create a better public-school system. House Bill 2134/Senate Bill 2252 is
a step in the right direction.
SB2437 / HB2693 - Civil Immunity (B. Powers / C. Baum)
This bill confers civil immunity upon a teacher, principal, school employee, or school bus
driver properly using reasonable force to correct or restrain a student or prevent bodily harm
or death to another person. By better defining “qualified immunity” we should reduce frivolous
lawsuits in our state.
SB1755 / HB1671 - Alternative School (F. Haile / W. Lamberth)
This would allow a director of schools, or the director’s designee, to determine whether a
suspended or expelled student should be required to attend alternative school or an alternative
program, to remove a student from alternative school or an alternative program if the student
is not benefitting from the placement, and to determine whether, and how, if applicable, to
enforce the suspension or expulsion of a student who transfers into the LEA under suspension
or expulsion from another LEA.