KLS Keeping Law Simple Legislation in plain English

Straight-ahead summaries built from the official bill text. We keep the source links front and center and leave the decision up to you.

Back to Tennessee

HB0085 • 2026

Local Education Agencies

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 49, relative to physical activity for students.

Education
Enacted

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

Sponsor
Cepicky, Hensley
Last action
2025-05-13
Official status
Comp. became Pub. Ch. 306
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The original candidate statement incorrectly stated that the bill changed the requirement from 60 minutes to 40 minutes, but it actually reduced the weekly requirement to a daily one of 40 minutes.

Increasing Physical Activity for Elementary School Students

This law changes how much physical activity elementary school students in Tennessee must get each day and sets rules about when they can do this activity.

What This Bill Does

  • Changes the amount of daily physical activity required for elementary schools from 130 minutes per week to 40 minutes per day.
  • Specifies that physical activities include walking, jumping rope, playing volleyball, or other fitness-promoting exercises.
  • Requires unstructured play outside unless weather conditions make it unsafe.
  • Excludes time spent using electronic devices and in physical education classes from counting as required physical activity.
  • Prohibits withholding students from participating in physical activity as a form of punishment.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Local Education Agencies (LEAs) that run elementary schools
  • Elementary school students

Terms To Know

Local Education Agency (LEA)
An organization responsible for managing and operating public schools in a specific area.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The law does not specify what happens if weather conditions prevent outdoor play.
  • It is unclear how LEAs will ensure that students are not punished by being denied physical activity time.

Amendments

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

Amendment 1-0 to HB0085

Plain English: The amendment changes Tennessee's law to require local education agencies (LEAs) to provide specific amounts of physical activity for students in elementary, middle, and high schools.

  • Elementary school students must have at least 40 minutes of physical activity each full school day.
  • Middle and high school students must have a total of at least 90 minutes of physical activity per full school week.
  • Physical activity includes activities like walking, jumping rope, or playing volleyball but excludes time spent using electronic devices or in physical education classes.
  • The amendment does not specify how LEAs should implement these requirements or provide additional details on enforcement and compliance.
Amendment 1-0 to SB0158

Plain English: The amendment changes how much physical activity schools must provide for students and clarifies what counts as physical activity.

  • Elementary school students must have at least 40 minutes of physical activity each day, while middle and high school students need a total of 90 minutes per week.
  • Physical activities include walking, jumping rope, playing volleyball, or other fitness-promoting exercises, but not walking to and from class.
  • Unstructured play outside is required unless weather conditions make it unsafe.
  • The amendment does not specify what happens if schools cannot provide the required physical activity due to bad weather.

Bill History

  1. 2025-05-13 Tennessee General Assembly

    Comp. became Pub. Ch. 306

  2. 2025-05-13 Tennessee General Assembly

    Effective date(s) 07/01/2025

  3. 2025-05-13 Tennessee General Assembly

    Pub. Ch. 306

  4. 2025-05-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Signed by Governor.

  5. 2025-04-22 Tennessee General Assembly

    Transmitted to Governor for action.

  6. 2025-04-21 Tennessee General Assembly

    Signed by H. Speaker

  7. 2025-04-21 Tennessee General Assembly

    Signed by Senate Speaker

  8. 2025-04-17 Tennessee General Assembly

    Enrolled and ready for signatures

  9. 2025-04-15 Tennessee General Assembly

    Comp. SB subst.

  10. 2025-04-15 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  11. 2025-04-15 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  12. 2025-04-15 Tennessee General Assembly

    Am. withdrawn. (Amendment 1 - HA0238)

  13. 2025-04-15 Tennessee General Assembly

    Subst. for comp. HB.

  14. 2025-04-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    H. Placed on Regular Calendar for 4/14/2025

  15. 2025-04-09 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Calendar & Rules Committee for 4/10/2025

  16. 2025-04-01 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  17. 2025-03-31 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  18. 2025-03-26 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Education Committee for 4/1/2025

  19. 2025-03-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action def. in Education Committee to 4/1/2025

  20. 2025-03-19 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  21. 2025-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  22. 2025-03-13 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  23. 2025-03-12 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  24. 2025-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  25. 2025-03-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  26. 2025-03-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Engrossed; ready for transmission to House

  27. 2025-03-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed Senate as amended, Ayes 28, Nays 1

  28. 2025-03-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Senate adopted Amendment

  29. 2025-03-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Motion to reconsider adopted.

  30. 2025-03-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed Senate, Ayes 28, Nays 1

  31. 2025-03-07 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Regular Calendar for 3/10/2025

  32. 2025-03-05 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  33. 2025-03-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  34. 2025-03-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Recommended for passage with amendment/s, refer to Senate Calendar Committee Ayes 8, Nays 1 PNV 0

  35. 2025-03-04 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  36. 2025-03-03 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) withdrawn.

  37. 2025-02-27 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  38. 2025-02-27 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Education Committee calendar for 3/5/2025

  39. 2025-02-26 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  40. 2025-02-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  41. 2025-02-03 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  42. 2025-01-28 Tennessee General Assembly

    Assigned to s/c Education Administration Subcommittee

  43. 2025-01-27 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed on Second Consideration, refer to Senate Education Committee

  44. 2025-01-16 Tennessee General Assembly

    Ref. to Education Committee

  45. 2025-01-16 Tennessee General Assembly

    Introduced, Passed on First Consideration

  46. 2025-01-15 Tennessee General Assembly

    P2C held on desk, pending appointment of Standing Committees

  47. 2025-01-15 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

  48. 2025-01-14 Tennessee General Assembly

    Intro., P1C.

  49. 2025-01-09 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

Official Summary Text

Present law requires each local education agency (LEA) to integrate a minimum of 130 minutes of physical activity per week for elementary schools and 90 mi
nutes per week for middle and high schools. This bill increases for elementary schools the amount of physical activity from 130 minutes per week to 60 minutes per day. An LEA must offer such time in two 30-minute periods of physical activity per school
d
ay, with one session in the morning and one in the afternoon.

This bill establishes that physical activity can be walking, jumping rope, playing volleyball, or other forms of physical activity that promote fitness and well-being. Physical activity mus
t include unstructured play outside, unless weather conditions negatively impact reasonable execution of physical activity outside. However, physical activity does not include walking to and from class, time when a student is permitted to use an electron
i
c device, or time spent by a student in a physical education class. Additionally, a student may not be withheld from participating in physical activity as a form of punishment.

ON MARCH 10, 2025, THE SENATE ADOPTED AMENDMENT #1 AND PASSED SENATE BILL 15
8, AS AMENDED.

AMENDMENT #1 makes the following revisions:



Revises the provision requiring each LEA to integrate f
or elementary school students a minimum of
60
minutes of physical activity per full school day
to, instead, require a minimum of 40 minutes of such activity.



Removes the provision requiring a
n LEA
to
offer elementary students two
30
-minute periods of physical activity per school day, one session occurring in the morning and one session occurring in the afternoon
.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
SENATE BILL 158
By Hensley

HOUSE BILL 85
By Cepicky

HB0085
000694
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 49,
relative to physical activity for students.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 49-6-1021(a), is amended by
deleting the subsection and substituting:
(a) In accordance with § 49-6-1022, each LEA shall integrate:
(1) For elementary school students, a minimum of sixty (60) minutes of
physical activity per full school day; and
(2) For middle and high school students, a minimum of ninety (90)
minutes of physical activity per full school week.
SECTION 2. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 49-6-1021(b), is amended by
deleting the subsection and substituting:
(b)
(1) Physical activity may include walking, jumping rope, playing
volleyball, or other forms of physical activity that promote fitness and well-being.
Walking to and from class is not physical activity for purposes of this section.
(2) To satisfy the requirements of subdivision (a)(1):
(A) Physical activity:
(i) Must include unstructured play outside, unless weather
conditions negatively impact reasonable execution of physical
activity outside; and
(ii) Does not include:

- 2 - 000694

(a) Time during which a student is permitted to use
an electronic device; or
(b) Time spent by a student in a physical education
class;
(B) An LEA shall offer elementary students two (2) thirty-minute
periods of physical activity per school day, one (1) session occurring in
the morning and one (1) session occurring in the afternoon; and
(C) A student shall not be withheld from participating in physical
activity as a form of punishment.
SECTION 3. This act takes effect July 1, 2025, the public welfare requiring it.