Official Summary Text
Present law requires a
parent-teacher conducting a home school
that is not operated thr
ough a church-related school to
comply with the following requirements:
P
rior
to each school year
, p
rovide to the local director of schools
the parent-teacher's intent to conduct a home school
and relevant information, including names and ages of the children, the location of the school, and
the proposed curriculum
. Information collected is
for record keeping
and
for
other purposes for which similar information on public school students may be used in accordance with guidelines, rules
,
and regulations of the state board of education.
Maintenance of attendance records, subject to inspection by the local director of schools, and submission of these records to the director of schools at the end of each school year
.
Instruction for at least four hours per day for the same number of instructional days as are required by state law for public schools
.
Possession of a high school diploma or high school equivalency credential approved by the state board of education by the parent-teacher
.
Administration by the commissioner of education
or by a professional testing service that is approved by the LEA, to home school students of the same state board approved secure standardized tests required of public-school students in grades five, seven
,
and nine
. H
owever, the test for grade nine
may
not be the high school proficiency test required
to receive a full diploma upon graduation from public high school.
Tests administered by the commissioner
must
be at the same time tests are administered to public school students, and be administered in the public school that the home school student would otherwise be attending, or at whatever location students at such school are tested.
Tests administered by the commissioner
must
be administered without charge.
The parent-teacher may be present when the home school student is tested in grade five.
Both parent-teacher and home school student
must
be under the supervision of the test administrator
.
Tests administered by a professional testing service
must
be administered within 30 days of the date of the statewide test.
Tests administered by a professional testing service
are
at the expense of the parent-teacher
.
All test results from either administration by the commissioner or by a professional testing service,
must
be provided to the parent-teacher, the director of schools
,
and the state board of education
.
Consultation between the director of schools and the parent-teacher if the home school student falls three to six months behind the home school student's appropriate grade level, based on the
testing described above.
If a home school student falls six to nin
e
months behind
in
reading, language arts, mathematics
,
or science test scores or such of these areas, regardless of the term used on the test, as are actually tested for the student's grade level, based on the tests
described above
, the parent
must
consult with a teacher licensed by the state board of education and having a certificate or endorsement in the grade level or course or subject matter in which consultation is sought.
The parent and teacher
must
design a remedial course to help the child obtain the child's appropriate grade level.
The parent
must
report the remedial course for the child to the local director of schools
.
If a home school student falls more than one year behind the home school student's appropriate grade level in the home school student's comprehensive test score for two consecutive tests based on the tests re
quired above,
and if the child is not learning disabled in the opinion of a teacher licensed to teach at the child's grade level, the local director of schools may require the parents to enroll the child in a public, private or church-related school, and the parents
must
have all rights provided by law to respond to this requirement
.
If a test indicates that a home school student is one year or more behind the home school student's appropriate grade level, the same test
must
be administered to the child not more than one year later
.
Submission by the home school student entering public schools to the evaluation test provided for
student at church-related schools
, if the local system requires the test, or the tests required by the state board of education for transfer students.
This bill removes all of the above requirements.
HOME SCHOOL REQUIREMENTS
E
xcept for home schools operated
through church-related schools, this bill requires
a parent-teacher conducting a home school
to
provide
the following:
Notice to the local director of schools prior to each school year of the parent-teacher's intent to conduct a home school and, for purposes of reporting only, submit to the director of schools the names, number, ages, and grade levels of the children to be home schooled
.
A normed curriculum to the parent-teacher's home school students that has been selected and approved by the parent-teacher.
ASSESSMENTS
For home schools not conducted through church-related schools, this bill
prohibits t
his state, an agency of this state, the local school district, or a local government
from
requir
ing
a parent-teacher of a home school student to
(i) a
dminister any assessment
to their home school student
; or (ii) s
ubmit any information or docum
entation regarding the education being provided by the parent-teacher
to
their child at home.
However, this provision
does not prohibit this state or an agency of this state from requesting or receiving the information or documentation necessary to confir
m that a parent-teacher is providing a normed curriculum to the parent-teacher's child at home
.
REGULATION
For home schools not conducted through church-related schools, this bill prohibits t
his state, an agency of this state, the local school distri
ct, or a local government
from
regulat
ing
, oversee
ing
, or otherwise impos
ing
any requirements on a parent-teacher conducting a home school for the parent-teacher's child or children, except as provided in this
bill
.
However, t
his
provision
does not prohib
it this state or an agency of this state from regulating, overseeing, or otherwise imposing requirements on a parent-teacher or home school student if the parent-teacher or home school student voluntarily elects to participate in a state program that impo
s
es certain requirements or standards on participants that exceed those established in this
bill
, or who has otherwise applied for and received state funds for which this state or an agency of this state has promulgated rules or established requirements or
standards for recipients that exceed those established in this
bill
.
Current Bill Text
Read the full stored bill text
SENATE BILL 122
By Lowe
HOUSE BILL 1152
By Grills
HB1152
000545
- 1 -
AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 49,
relative to home school.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 49-6-3050, is amended by deleting
subsection (b) and substituting instead the following:
(b)
(1) Except for home schools operated under subdivision (a)(2) or (a)(3),
a parent-teacher conducting a home school must provide:
(A) Notice to the local director of schools prior to each school
year of the parent-teacher's intent to conduct a home school and, for
purposes of reporting only, submit to the director of schools the names,
number, ages, and grade levels of the children to be home schooled; and
(B) A normed curriculum to the parent-teacher's home school
students that has been selected and approved by the parent-teacher.
(2) This state, an agency of this state, the local school district, or a local
government shall not require a parent-teacher of a home school student to:
(A) Administer any assessment, including, but not limited to, a
state-mandated standardized test or assessment such as a Tennessee
comprehensive assessment program test to their home school student; or
(B) Submit any information or documentation regarding the
education being provided by the parent-teacher their child at home,
including, but not limited to, the curricula, textbooks, and instructional
- 2 - 000545
materials selected or being used by the parent-teacher. This subdivision
(b)(2)(B) does not prohibit this state or an agency of this state from
requesting or receiving the information or documentation necessary to
confirm that a parent-teacher is providing a normed curriculum to the
parent-teacher's child at home, as required in subdivision (b)(1)(B).
(3)
(A) This state, an agency of this state, the local school district, or
a local government shall not regulate, oversee, or otherwise impose any
requirements on a parent-teacher conducting a home school for the
parent-teacher's child or children, except as provided in this section.
(B) This subdivision (b)(3) does not prohibit this state or an
agency of this state from regulating, overseeing, or otherwise imposing
requirements on a parent-teacher or home school student if the parent-
teacher or home school student voluntarily elects to participate in a state
program that imposes certain requirements or standards on participants
that exceed those established in this section, or who has otherwise
applied for and received state funds for which this state or an agency of
this state has promulgated rules or established requirements or standards
for recipients that exceed those established in this section.
SECTION 2. This act takes effect July 1, 2025, the public welfare requiring it.