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HB0368 • 2026

Education, Curriculum

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 49, relative to student instruction.

Children Education
Enacted

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

Sponsor
Stinnett, Massey
Last action
2025-05-02
Official status
Comp. became Pub. Ch. 164
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The bill's effective date was changed from July 1, 2025, to upon becoming law but applies the requirements starting with the 2026-2027 school year.

Adding Safe Haven Law Education in High Schools

This act requires Tennessee high schools to teach students about the state's safe haven law, which allows mothers to safely surrender newborns without facing criminal charges.

What This Bill Does

  • Adds a new requirement for high school family life education programs to include information on the safe haven law.
  • Requires the state board of education and the department of education to create guidelines for teaching about the safe haven law.
  • Encourages collaboration with A Secret Safe Place for Newborns of Tennessee, Inc., to develop educational materials.
  • Requires distribution of these guidelines to local education agencies (LEAs) before the start of the 1925-2026 school year.

Who It Names or Affects

  • High schools in grades nine through twelve
  • Local Education Agencies (LEAs)
  • The Department of Education

Terms To Know

Safe Haven Law
A law that allows mothers to safely surrender newborns without facing criminal charges.
Family Life Curriculum
Educational programs in schools that cover topics related to family and personal health.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill's effective date was changed from July 1, 2025, to upon becoming law but applies the requirements starting with the 2026-2027 school year.
  • It is not clear how LEAs will implement these new guidelines in their existing curriculum.

Amendments

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

Amendment 1-0 to HB0368

Plain English: The amendment requires Tennessee schools to teach students in grades nine through twelve about the state's safe haven law for newborns starting from the 2026-2027 school year.

  • Schools must educate students in grades 9-12 on the voluntary surrender of unharmed infants without criminal liability, known as Tennessee’s safe haven law.
  • The state board of education and department of education will create guidelines for this instruction before the start of the 2026-2027 school year.
  • Details about how schools will implement these changes are not provided in the amendment text.
Amendment 1-0 to SB0319

Plain English: The amendment requires Tennessee schools to teach students in grades nine through twelve about the state's safe haven law for newborns starting from the 2026-2027 school year.

  • Requires public high schools and charter high schools to educate students on the voluntary surrender of unharmed infants without criminal liability, commonly known as Tennessee’s safe haven law.
  • Directs the state board of education and the department of education to develop guidelines for this instruction before the start of the 2026-2027 school year.
  • The amendment text does not specify how schools will be held accountable for following these requirements.
  • It is unclear what specific content or methods of teaching will be included in the guidelines developed by the state board and department.

Bill History

  1. 2025-05-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Comp. became Pub. Ch. 164

  2. 2025-05-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Effective date(s) 04/11/2025

  3. 2025-05-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Pub. Ch. 164

  4. 2025-04-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Signed by Governor.

  5. 2025-04-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Transmitted to Governor for action.

  6. 2025-04-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Signed by H. Speaker

  7. 2025-04-01 Tennessee General Assembly

    Signed by Senate Speaker

  8. 2025-03-28 Tennessee General Assembly

    Enrolled and ready for signatures

  9. 2025-03-27 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  10. 2025-03-27 Tennessee General Assembly

    Comp. SB subst.

  11. 2025-03-27 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed H., Ayes 88, Nays 3, PNV 4

  12. 2025-03-27 Tennessee General Assembly

    Am. withdrawn. (Amendment 1 - HA0101)

  13. 2025-03-27 Tennessee General Assembly

    Subst. for comp. HB.

  14. 2025-03-20 Tennessee General Assembly

    H. Placed on Regular Calendar for 3/27/2025

  15. 2025-03-19 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Calendar & Rules Committee for 3/20/2025

  16. 2025-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  17. 2025-03-12 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  18. 2025-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  19. 2025-03-10 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  20. 2025-03-06 Tennessee General Assembly

    Engrossed; ready for transmission to House

  21. 2025-03-06 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  22. 2025-03-06 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed Senate as amended, Ayes 30, Nays 0

  23. 2025-03-06 Tennessee General Assembly

    Senate adopted Amendment (Amendment 1 - SA0024)

  24. 2025-03-05 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  25. 2025-03-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  26. 2025-03-04 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  27. 2025-03-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Regular Calendar for 3/6/2025

  28. 2025-02-26 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  29. 2025-02-26 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  30. 2025-02-26 Tennessee General Assembly

    Recommended for passage with amendment/s, refer to Senate Calendar Committee Ayes 9, Nays 0 PNV 0

  31. 2025-02-26 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  32. 2025-02-19 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Education Committee calendar for 2/26/2025

  33. 2025-02-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed on Second Consideration, refer to Senate Education Committee

  34. 2025-02-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Introduced, Passed on First Consideration

  35. 2025-02-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Assigned to s/c Education Instruction Subcommittee

  36. 2025-02-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    P2C, ref. to Education Committee

  37. 2025-02-03 Tennessee General Assembly

    Intro., P1C.

  38. 2025-01-27 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

  39. 2025-01-27 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

Official Summary Text

Present law requires LEAs to devise, adopt, and
implement a program of family life education in conformance with various curriculum guidelines. Prior to adopting a family life curriculum, each LEA is required to conduct at least one public hearing, at which time the program must be explained to member
s
of the public, and the public must have the opportunity to speak and express their opinions and concerns.

This bill adds a new curriculum guideline, to be developed by the state board of education in collaboration with the department of education, that
LEAs must add to their family life education. The new guideline is for the education of students in grades nine through 12 on the protections established in the present law for the voluntary surrender of an unharmed infant by the infant's mother without
c
riminal liability, which is commonly known as this state's safe haven law. Generally, the safe haven law established a process whereby a mother can voluntarily deliver an infant to a facility or newborn safety device without bearing criminal culpability
f
or abandoning the child. The safe haven law includes various notice provisions for the infant's birth parents and 30-day period within which either birth parent may revoke the voluntary delivery before the department of children's services initiates proc
e
edings to terminate parentage.

This bill encourages the department of education to collaborate with A Secret Safe Place for Newborns of Tennessee, Inc., a nonprofit organization whose mission is to educate the public and healthcare providers regarding th
is state's safe haven law, in developing educational materials aligned to the guidelines developed by the state board. This bill requires the department of education to distribute the guidelines developed by the state board to each LEA that serves studen
t
s in any of the grades nine through 12 and to each public charter high school before the start of the 2025-2026 school year.

ON MARCH 6, 2025, THE SENATE ADOPTED AMENDMENT #1 AND PASSED SENATE BILL 319, AS AMENDED.

AMENDMENT #1 changes the effective da
te from July 1, 2025, to upon becoming a law but applies the bill beginning with the 2026-2027 school year, instead of the 2025-2026 school year.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
SENATE BILL 319
By Massey

HOUSE BILL 368
By Stinnett

HB0368
002008
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 49,
relative to student instruction.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 49-6-1304(a), is amended by adding
the following as new subdivision:
( ) Educate students in grades nine through twelve (9-12) on the protections
established in §§ 36-1-142 and 68-11-255 for the voluntary surrender of an unharmed
infant by the infant's mother without criminal liability, which is commonly known as this
state's safe haven law. The state board of education, with the assistance of the
department of education, shall develop guidelines for the instruction required in this
subdivision (a)( ). The department is encouraged to collaborate with A Secret Safe
Place for Newborns of Tennessee, Inc., a nonprofit organization whose mission is to
educate the public and healthcare providers regarding this state's safe haven law, in
developing educational materials aligned to the guidelines developed by the state board.
The department shall distribute the guidelines developed by the state board pursuant to
this subdivision (a)( ) to each LEA that serves students in any of the grades nine
through twelve (9-12) and to each public charter high school before the start of the 2025-
2026 school year.
SECTION 2. This act takes effect July 1, 2025, the public welfare requiring it, and
applies to the 2025-2026 school year and each school year thereafter.