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HB0081 • 2026

Students

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 49, relative to the transfer of student records.

Education Privacy
Enacted

This bill passed the Legislature and reached final enactment based on the latest official action.

Sponsor
Hemmer, Powers
Last action
2025-05-02
Official status
Comp. became Pub. Ch. 156
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The bill summary and digest do not mention specific consequences or penalties for failing to comply within the five business days, which aligns with the candidate's statement about limits and unknowns.

Student Record Transfer Act

This act requires local education agencies to provide copies of students' records within five business days when they transfer between schools or districts.

What This Bill Does

  • Requires a school district (LEA) to give a student's record, including academic and special education details, to another school in the same district within five business days if the student transfers.
  • Requires an LEA to send a student's records to another LEA within five business days if the student is transferring between districts.
  • Needs schools or districts that receive a student’s records but who do not end up enrolling them, to inform the sending school or district within five business days.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Students who transfer from one school to another in the same local education agency (LEA).
  • Students who transfer between different LEAs.
  • Local Education Agencies and schools involved in transferring student records.

Terms To Know

Local Education Agency (LEA)
An organization that is responsible for providing public education within a specific area, such as a school district.
FERPA
The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, which sets rules about how schools manage student records.

Limits and Unknowns

  • Does not specify what happens if the five-day deadline is missed.
  • Does not provide details on penalties for non-compliance with the act.

Amendments

These notes stay tied to the official amendment files and metadata from the legislature.

Amendment 1-0 to HB0081

Plain English: The amendment changes how student records are transferred between schools within and across school districts in Tennessee.

  • Schools must provide copies of students' academic, disciplinary, behavioral, and special education records to another school or district within five business days after receiving a request for the transfer.
  • If a student does not end up transferring to a new school that received their records, the new school must inform the original school about this within five business days.
  • The amendment text does not specify what happens if schools do not comply with these requirements.
Amendment 1-0 to SB0124

Plain English: The amendment changes how student records are transferred between schools within and across school districts in Tennessee.

  • Schools must provide copies of students' academic, disciplinary, behavioral, and special education records to another school or district within five business days after receiving a request for the transfer.
  • If a student does not end up transferring to a new school that received their records, the new school must inform the original school about this within five business days.
  • The amendment text does not specify what happens if schools do not comply with these requirements.

Bill History

  1. 2025-05-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Comp. became Pub. Ch. 156

  2. 2025-05-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Effective date(s) 04/11/2025

  3. 2025-05-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Pub. Ch. 156

  4. 2025-04-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Signed by Governor.

  5. 2025-04-03 Tennessee General Assembly

    Transmitted to Governor for action.

  6. 2025-04-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Signed by H. Speaker

  7. 2025-04-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Signed by Senate Speaker

  8. 2025-04-01 Tennessee General Assembly

    Enrolled and ready for signatures

  9. 2025-03-31 Tennessee General Assembly

    Comp. SB subst.

  10. 2025-03-31 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  11. 2025-03-31 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  12. 2025-03-31 Tennessee General Assembly

    Am. withdrawn. (Amendment 1 - HA0166)

  13. 2025-03-31 Tennessee General Assembly

    Subst. for comp. HB.

  14. 2025-03-27 Tennessee General Assembly

    H. Placed on Regular Calendar for 3/31/2025

  15. 2025-03-27 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  16. 2025-03-27 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rcvd. from S., held on H. desk.

  17. 2025-03-26 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Calendar & Rules Committee for 3/27/2025

  18. 2025-03-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rec. for pass. if am., ref. to Calendar & Rules Committee

  19. 2025-03-24 Tennessee General Assembly

    Engrossed; ready for transmission to House

  20. 2025-03-24 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed Senate as amended, Ayes 33, Nays 0

  21. 2025-03-24 Tennessee General Assembly

    Senate adopted Amendment (Amendment 1 - SA0178)

  22. 2025-03-21 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Regular Calendar for 3/24/2025

  23. 2025-03-19 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Education Committee for 3/25/2025

  24. 2025-03-19 Tennessee General Assembly

    Recommended for passage with amendment/s, refer to Senate Calendar Committee Ayes 7, Nays 0 PNV 0

  25. 2025-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action def. in Education Committee to 3/25/2025

  26. 2025-03-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Education Committee for 3/18/2025

  27. 2025-03-12 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  28. 2025-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action def. in Education Committee to 3/18/2025

  29. 2025-03-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Education Committee for 3/11/2025

  30. 2025-03-04 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  31. 2025-02-26 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Education Administration Subcommittee for 3/4/2025

  32. 2025-02-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action Def. in s/c Education Administration Subcommittee to 3/4/2025

  33. 2025-02-19 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Education Administration Subcommittee for 2/25/2025

  34. 2025-01-28 Tennessee General Assembly

    Assigned to s/c Education Administration Subcommittee

  35. 2025-01-16 Tennessee General Assembly

    Ref. to Education Committee

  36. 2025-01-16 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed on Second Consideration, refer to Senate Education Committee

  37. 2025-01-15 Tennessee General Assembly

    P2C held on desk, pending appointment of Standing Committees

  38. 2025-01-15 Tennessee General Assembly

    Introduced, Passed on First Consideration

  39. 2025-01-14 Tennessee General Assembly

    Intro., P1C.

  40. 2025-01-14 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

  41. 2025-01-09 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

Official Summary Text

ON MARCH 24, 2025, THE SENATE ADOPTED AMENDMENT #1 AND PASSED SENATE BILL 124, AS AMENDED.

AMENDMENT #1 rewrites the bill to, instead, add the following to present law:



If a student transfers from one school to another school in the same LEA, then the LEA
must
provide a copy of the student's records, including the student's academic, disciplinary, behavioral, and special education records, to the school to which the student transfers within five business days of the date on which the student's records request was received by the school. If a student transfers from one LEA to another LEA, then the LEA from which a student transfers
must
provide a copy of the student's records, including the student's academic, disciplinary, behavioral, and special education records, to the LEA to which the student transfers within five business days of the date on which the student's records request was received by the LEA.



If an LEA or school provides a copy of a student's records to an LEA or school to which the student has expressed an intent to transfer but does not transfer, then the LEA or school that received the copy of the student's records
must
notify the LEA or school from which such records were provided that the student did not enroll in the LEA or school within five business days of the date on which the LEA or school received the records.



An LEA or school that provides or receives student records pursuant to
the bill
must do so in compliance with the
federal
Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA
).

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
SENATE BILL 124
By Powers

HOUSE BILL 81
By Hemmer

HB0081
000520
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 49,
relative to the transfer of student records.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 49-6-3001(c)(1), is amended by
adding "within three (3) days of the transfer date" after "to which the student transfers".
SECTION 2. This act takes effect upon becoming a law, the public welfare requiring it.