Local Education Agencies

Plain English Breakdown

Checked against official source text during the last sync.

Rules for Electronic Devices in Schools

This bill updates Tennessee laws to require both local education agencies and charter schools to adopt internet use policies and limits their ability to track personal devices on school property except during tests.

What This Bill Does

• Adds public charter schools to the list of entities required to adopt an acceptable internet use policy for students, alongside LEAs.
• Prohibits local education agencies (LEAs) and public charter schools from tracking or monitoring a person's use of their own electronic devices on school property, except when used during tests.

Who It Names or Affects

• Local Education Agencies
• Public Charter Schools

Terms To Know

LEA

Local Education Agency, which refers to a school district or other local government body responsible for public education.

Internet Acceptable Use Policy

Rules set by schools about how students can use the internet and electronic devices during school hours.

Limits and Unknowns

• The bill does not specify what happens if a student breaks the acceptable use policy.
• It is unclear how this law will be enforced or monitored in practice.

Official Summary Text

Abstract summarizes the bill.

Current Bill Text

SENATE BILL 121
By Lowe

HOUSE BILL 768
By Littleton

HB0768
000542
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 49,
relative to electronic devices on school property.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 49-1-221(a)(1), is amended by
deleting "LEA" and substituting "LEA and public charter school", deleting "school district"
wherever it appears and substituting "school district or public charter school", deleting "school
district's" wherever it appears and substituting "school district's or public charter school's",
adding "or public charter school's" after "LEA's", and adding the following as a new subdivision:
(G) Prohibit the LEA or public charter school from tracking or monitoring a
person's use of the internet via a personal electronic device on school property, except
for instances in which a student uses a personal electronic device during a test.
SECTION 2. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 49-1-221(b), is amended by adding
"or director of the public charter school" after "director of schools" and deleting "school district's"
and substituting "LEA's or public charter school's".
SECTION 3. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 49-1-221(c), is amended by deleting
"LEA or" wherever it appears and substituting "LEA, public charter school, or" and deleting
"LEA's or" wherever it appears and substituting "LEA's, public charter school's, or".
SECTION 4. This act takes effect July 1, 2025, the public welfare requiring it.