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HB0061 • 2026

Education

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 37 and Title 49, relative to student attendance.

Education Privacy
Active

The official status still shows this bill as active or still awaiting another formal step.

Sponsor
Raper, Lowe
Last action
2025-04-04
Official status
Effective date(s) 07/01/2025
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The bill summary does not provide specific details on how it affects private or charter schools, leaving this as an open question.

Student Attendance Records for Legal Cases

This bill allows schools to provide a student's attendance records from previous years in legal cases about educational neglect.

What This Bill Does

  • Allows schools to give out a student’s attendance records from all previous school years if there is a legal case about the student not going to school enough, following FERPA and other relevant privacy laws.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Schools and students in Tennessee.
  • People working on legal cases involving student attendance.

Terms To Know

FERPA (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act)
A federal law that protects the privacy of student education records.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill does not specify how schools should handle attendance records for students who have never attended public school.
  • It is unclear if this change will affect private or charter schools in Tennessee.

Bill History

  1. 2025-04-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Effective date(s) 07/01/2025

  2. 2025-04-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Pub. Ch. 133

  3. 2025-04-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Comp. became Pub. Ch. 133

  4. 2025-04-03 Tennessee General Assembly

    Signed by Governor.

  5. 2025-03-27 Tennessee General Assembly

    Transmitted to Governor for his action.

  6. 2025-03-26 Tennessee General Assembly

    Signed by Senate Speaker

  7. 2025-03-26 Tennessee General Assembly

    Signed by H. Speaker

  8. 2025-03-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Enrolled; ready for sig. of H. Speaker.

  9. 2025-03-24 Tennessee General Assembly

    Senate substituted House Bill for companion Senate Bill.

  10. 2025-03-24 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed Senate, Ayes 2, Nays 0

  11. 2025-03-24 Tennessee General Assembly

    Companion House Bill substituted

  12. 2025-03-21 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Consent Calendar 2 for 3/24/2025

  13. 2025-03-19 Tennessee General Assembly

    Recommended for passage, refer to Senate Calendar Committee

  14. 2025-03-13 Tennessee General Assembly

    Received from House, Passed on First Consideration

  15. 2025-03-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Education Committee calendar for 3/19/2025

  16. 2025-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Engrossed; ready for transmission to Sen.

  17. 2025-03-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed H., Ayes 95, Nays 0, PNV 0

  18. 2025-03-06 Tennessee General Assembly

    H. Placed on Consent Calendar for 3/10/2025

  19. 2025-03-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Calendar & Rules Committee for 3/6/2025

  20. 2025-03-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rec. for pass; ref to Calendar & Rules Committee

  21. 2025-02-26 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Education Committee for 3/4/2025

  22. 2025-02-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action def. in Education Committee to 3/4/25

  23. 2025-02-19 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Education Committee for 2/25/2025

  24. 2025-02-18 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rec. for pass by s/c ref. to Education Committee

  25. 2025-02-13 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  26. 2025-02-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal K-12 Subcommittee for 2/18/2025

  27. 2025-01-28 Tennessee General Assembly

    Assigned to s/c K-12 Subcommittee

  28. 2025-01-16 Tennessee General Assembly

    Ref. to Education Committee

  29. 2025-01-16 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed on Second Consideration, refer to Senate Education Committee

  30. 2025-01-15 Tennessee General Assembly

    P2C held on desk, pending appointment of Standing Committees

  31. 2025-01-15 Tennessee General Assembly

    Introduced, Passed on First Consideration

  32. 2025-01-14 Tennessee General Assembly

    Intro., P1C.

  33. 2025-01-14 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

  34. 2025-01-06 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

Official Summary Text

Abstract summarizes the bill.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
SENATE BILL 146
By Lowe

HOUSE BILL 61
By Raper

HB0061
000044
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 37
and Title 49, relative to student attendance.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 49-6-3009, is amended by adding
the following as a new subsection:
In a complaint or referral made pursuant to this section, a subpoena may be
issued for a student's attendance record, including all previous school years that the
student attended a public school, in accordance with the Family Educational Rights and
Privacy Act (FERPA) (20 U.S.C. 1232g) and all other relevant privacy laws.
SECTION 2. This act takes effect July 1, 2025, the public welfare requiring it.