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HB0964 • 2026

Education

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 4, Chapter 29 and Title 49, Chapter 6, Part 8, relative to school safety.

Education
Enacted

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

Sponsor
Hawk, Massey
Last action
2025-05-15
Official status
Comp. became Pub. Ch. 448
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The bill text specifies that the state-level safety team will develop and update guidelines, but it does not explicitly require the state fire marshal to incorporate them into rules. The fire marshal is authorized to promulgate rules based on this act.

School Safety Standards for New and Remodeled Buildings

This act updates safety standards for new and remodeled school buildings in Tennessee to include stronger window films or security glazing that meet national test standards, and requires the state-level safety team to develop guidelines for these standards.

What This Bill Does

  • Changes the type of clear entry-resistant film required for public schools built or remodeled after July 1, 2025.
  • Requires new school buildings constructed or remodeled on or after July 1, 2025 to use window films or security glazing that meet national test standards for forced entry resistance.
  • Establishes a requirement for the state-level safety team to develop and update guidelines for compliance with these new safety measures.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Public schools in Tennessee that are being built or remodeled after July 1, 2025
  • The state-level school safety team responsible for developing and updating guidelines

Terms To Know

forced entry resistance
A measure of how well a window film or security glazing can prevent unauthorized entry by resisting forced entry attempts.
ASTM F3561 test standard
A nationally recognized test that measures the ability of window films and security glazing to resist forced entry.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The exact fiscal impact on local governments is uncertain due to multiple unknown variables.
  • This act does not specify a state share in covering increased expenditure requirements for cities or counties.

Bill History

  1. 2025-05-15 Tennessee General Assembly

    Comp. became Pub. Ch. 448

  2. 2025-05-15 Tennessee General Assembly

    Effective date(s) 05/09/2025, 07/01/2025

  3. 2025-05-15 Tennessee General Assembly

    Pub. Ch. 448

  4. 2025-05-09 Tennessee General Assembly

    Signed by Governor.

  5. 2025-05-01 Tennessee General Assembly

    Transmitted to Governor for action.

  6. 2025-04-30 Tennessee General Assembly

    Signed by H. Speaker

  7. 2025-04-29 Tennessee General Assembly

    Signed by Senate Speaker

  8. 2025-04-28 Tennessee General Assembly

    Enrolled and ready for signatures

  9. 2025-04-21 Tennessee General Assembly

    Comp. SB subst.

  10. 2025-04-21 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  11. 2025-04-21 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed H., Ayes 92, Nays 0, PNV 0

  12. 2025-04-21 Tennessee General Assembly

    Subst. for comp. HB.

  13. 2025-04-17 Tennessee General Assembly

    H. Placed on Regular Calendar for 4/21/2025

  14. 2025-04-17 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Calendar & Rules Committee for 4/17/2025

  15. 2025-04-17 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rec. for pass; ref to Calendar & Rules Committee

  16. 2025-04-17 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rec. for pass by s/c ref. to Finance, Ways, and Means Committee

  17. 2025-04-16 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee for 4/17/2025

  18. 2025-04-09 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee for 4/14/2025

  19. 2025-04-09 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed behind the budget

  20. 2025-04-07 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  21. 2025-04-03 Tennessee General Assembly

    Engrossed; ready for transmission to House

  22. 2025-04-03 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed Senate, Ayes 30, Nays 0

  23. 2025-04-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee for 4/9/2025

  24. 2025-04-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Assigned to s/c Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee

  25. 2025-04-01 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  26. 2025-04-01 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Consent Calendar 2 for 4/3/2025

  27. 2025-03-31 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rec. for pass; ref to Finance, Ways, and Means Committee

  28. 2025-03-31 Tennessee General Assembly

    Senate Reset on calendar 4/3/2025

  29. 2025-03-28 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Consent Calendar 2 for 3/31/2025

  30. 2025-03-26 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Government Operations Committee for 3/31/2025

  31. 2025-03-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rec. for pass; ref to Government Operations Committee

  32. 2025-03-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Refer to Senate Calendar Committee

  33. 2025-03-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Recalled from Senate Finance, Ways & Means Committee

  34. 2025-03-19 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  35. 2025-03-19 Tennessee General Assembly

    Recommended for passage, refer to Senate Finance, Ways, and Means Committee

  36. 2025-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  37. 2025-03-12 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  38. 2025-03-12 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  39. 2025-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  40. 2025-03-05 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  41. 2025-03-04 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  42. 2025-02-27 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  43. 2025-02-26 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  44. 2025-02-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed on Second Consideration, refer to Senate Education Committee

  45. 2025-02-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Assigned to s/c Education Administration Subcommittee

  46. 2025-02-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    P2C, ref. to Education Committee- Government Operations for Review

  47. 2025-02-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Introduced, Passed on First Consideration

  48. 2025-02-06 Tennessee General Assembly

    Intro., P1C.

  49. 2025-02-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

  50. 2025-02-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

Official Summary Text

Present law requires that
public school building
s
, including a public charter school building, constructed or remodeled after July 1, 2023,
have
installed a clear entry-re
sistant film on the glass panel of each exterior entry or basement level window and door to prevent individuals from entering the school building without authorization by breaking the glass in an exterior entry or basement level window or door
.

Under t
his bill,
public school building
s
, including a public charter school building, constructed or remodeled after July 1, 202
5
,
must have
installed

a clear window film or security glazing that meets a nationally recognized test standard for forced entry resist
ance, such as the ASTM F3561 test standard, for glazing systems of each exterior entry or door plus adjoining glazing and the secure interior vestibules serving as primary entrances to prevent individuals from entering the building without authorization
.

This bill requires the
state-level safety team established
to
develop
and seasonably update
guidelines for compliance with this
bill and other requirements for school building safety under the SAVE Act, and
transmit all of
such
guidelines to the state fir
e marshal to be incorporated into rules
.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
SENATE BILL 899
By Massey

HOUSE BILL 964
By Hawk

HB0964
002970
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 4,
Chapter 29 and Title 49, Chapter 6, Part 8, relative
to school safety.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 49-6-818(a)(2), is amended by
deleting the subdivision and substituting:
(2)
(A) If a public school building, including a public charter school building,
is constructed or remodeled after July 1, 2023, but prior to July 1, 2025, then the
building must have installed a clear entry-resistant film on the glass panel of each
exterior entry or basement level window and door to prevent individuals from
entering the school building without authorization by breaking the glass in an
exterior entry or basement level window or door; and
(B) If a public school building, including a public charter school building,
is constructed or remodeled on or after to July 1, 2025, then the building must
have installed a clear window film or security glazing that meets a nationally
recognized test standard for forced entry resistance, such as the ASTM F3561
test standard, for glazing systems of each exterior entry or door plus adjoining
glazing and the secure interior vestibules serving as primary entrances to prevent
individuals from entering the building without authorization;
SECTION 2. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 49-6-818, is amended by adding the
following as a new subsection (b) and redesignating the existing subsection (b) and the
remaining subsections accordingly:

- 2 - 002970

(b) The state-level safety team established under § 49-6-802 shall develop
guidelines for compliance with this section and update the guidelines as needed. The
state-level safety team shall transmit all of the guidelines that it develops pursuant to this
section to the state fire marshal to be incorporated into rules pursuant to § 68-120-101.
SECTION 3. The state fire marshal is authorized to promulgate rules to effectuate this
act. The rules must be promulgated in accordance with the Uniform Administrative Procedures
Act, compiled in Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 4, Chapter 5.
SECTION 4. For the purposes of establishing guidelines and promulgating rules, this
act takes effect upon becoming a law, the public welfare requiring it. For all other purposes, this
act takes effect July 1, 2025, the public welfare requiring it.