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

HB1197 • 2026

Education, Curriculum

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 49, Chapter 6, relative to the nonsectarian, nonreligious study of the Bible.

Education
Enacted

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

Sponsor
Kumar, Roberts
Last action
2025-05-13
Official status
Comp. became Pub. Ch. 314
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The bill does not explicitly mention the inclusion of elective Bible courses in the list of high school courses, despite this being implied by other sections.

Changes to Bible Course Approval in Tennessee Schools

This act changes how local education agencies (LEAs) and public charter schools can offer nonsectarian, nonreligious Bible courses by requiring approval from the local board of education or governing body.

What This Bill Does

  • Removes previous provisions that allowed LEA-approved Bible course curricula to be adopted without further state department approval.
  • Requires local boards of education or public charter school governing bodies to approve Bible courses, ensuring they meet certain standards.
  • Requires the Tennessee Department of Education to post a list of approved Bible courses and their academic standards on its website.
  • Requires LEAs and public charter schools to publish all Bible course curricula and instructional materials on their websites.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Local Education Agencies (LEAs) that offer or plan to offer nonsectarian, nonreligious Bible courses.
  • Public charter schools offering or planning to offer such courses.
  • The Tennessee Department of Education responsible for posting information about approved Bible courses.

Terms To Know

Local Education Agency (LEA)
An organization that provides public education services, typically a school district.
Public Charter School
A publicly funded independent school that is governed by a charter and operates with more flexibility than traditional public schools.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill does not specify the exact standards or criteria for approving Bible courses.
  • It remains unclear how existing approved curricula will be handled under new requirements.

Amendments

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

Amendment 1-0 to HB1197

Plain English: The amendment changes references from 'curriculum' to 'course' in Tennessee's education laws regarding Bible studies and adds requirements for public charter schools.

  • Changes the term 'curriculum' to 'course' in relevant sections of Tennessee Code Annotated.
  • Adds provisions for public charter schools to offer approved Bible courses, similar to those offered by local education agencies (LEAs).
  • Requires the state department of education and LEAs/public charter schools to publish information about approved Bible courses on their websites.
  • The amendment text does not specify all details about how public charter schools will implement these changes, leaving some aspects unclear.
Amendment 1-0 to SB0298

Plain English: The amendment changes references from 'curriculum' to 'course' in Tennessee's education laws regarding Bible studies and adds requirements for public charter schools.

  • Changes the term 'curriculum' to 'course' in relevant sections of Tennessee Code Annotated.
  • Adds provisions for public charter schools to offer approved Bible courses, similar to those offered by local education agencies (LEAs).
  • Requires the state department of education and LEAs/public charter schools to publish information about approved Bible courses on their websites.
  • The amendment text does not specify all details about how public charter schools will implement these changes, leaving some aspects unclear.

Bill History

  1. 2025-05-13 Tennessee General Assembly

    Comp. became Pub. Ch. 314

  2. 2025-05-13 Tennessee General Assembly

    Effective date(s) 07/01/2025

  3. 2025-05-13 Tennessee General Assembly

    Pub. Ch. 314

  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 82, Nays 8, PNV 2

  12. 2025-04-15 Tennessee General Assembly

    Am. withdrawn. (Amendment 1 - HA0231)

  13. 2025-04-15 Tennessee General Assembly

    Subst. for comp. HB.

  14. 2025-04-15 Tennessee General Assembly

    Engrossed; ready for transmission to House

  15. 2025-04-15 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed Senate as amended, Ayes 31, Nays 0, PNV 1

  16. 2025-04-15 Tennessee General Assembly

    Senate adopted Amendment (Amendment 1 - SA0200)

  17. 2025-04-14 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Regular Calendar for 4/15/2025

  18. 2025-04-14 Tennessee General Assembly

    Senate Reset on calendar for 4/15/2025

  19. 2025-04-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Regular Calendar for 4/14/2025

  20. 2025-04-10 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  21. 2025-04-09 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  22. 2025-04-09 Tennessee General Assembly

    Senate Reset on calendar for 4/14/2025

  23. 2025-04-08 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  24. 2025-04-07 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Regular Calendar for 4/9/2025

  25. 2025-04-07 Tennessee General Assembly

    Senate Reset on calendar for 4/9/2025

  26. 2025-04-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Regular Calendar for 4/7/2025

  27. 2025-04-03 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action def. in Calendar & Rules Committee to 4/10/2025

  28. 2025-04-03 Tennessee General Assembly

    Senate Reset on calendar for 4/7/2025

  29. 2025-04-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Calendar & Rules Committee for 4/3/2025

  30. 2025-04-01 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  31. 2025-04-01 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Regular Calendar for 4/3/2025

  32. 2025-03-31 Tennessee General Assembly

    Senate Reset on calendar for 4/3/2025

  33. 2025-03-28 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Regular Calendar for 3/31/2025

  34. 2025-03-26 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  35. 2025-03-25 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  36. 2025-03-19 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  37. 2025-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  38. 2025-03-17 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  39. 2025-03-17 Tennessee General Assembly

    Senate Reset on calendar for 3/31/2025

  40. 2025-03-14 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Regular Calendar for 3/17/2025

  41. 2025-03-12 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  42. 2025-03-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Recommended for passage, refer to Senate Calendar Committee

  43. 2025-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  44. 2025-03-05 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  45. 2025-03-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Education Committee calendar for 3/12/2025

  46. 2025-03-04 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  47. 2025-02-26 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  48. 2025-02-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Assigned to s/c Education Instruction Subcommittee

  49. 2025-02-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    P2C, ref. to Education Committee

  50. 2025-02-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed on Second Consideration, refer to Senate Education Committee

  51. 2025-02-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Intro., P1C.

  52. 2025-02-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Introduced, Passed on First Consideration

  53. 2025-02-06 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

  54. 2025-01-27 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

Official Summary Text

REQUIRED WEBSITE POSTINGS

Present law authorizes courses involving the academic study of the Bible using a curriculum developed by an LEA that have been approved b
y the department to be adopted by another LEA without further department approval. Further, the department must make available on its website (i) a list identifying each LEA that has developed a Bible course curriculum that has been approved by the depar
t
ment and that is available for adoption by another LEA, (ii) all Bible course curricula developed by LEAs that have been approved by the department and that are available for adoption by another LEA, (iii) the academic standards for a Bible course that ha
v
e been approved by the state board of education, and (iv) instructions on how an LEA may submit its own Bible course curriculum for approval.

This bill removes the above provisions and, instead, requires the local board of education or the public charter
school governing body to approve such courses, requires such courses to comply with certain requirements, and requires the department to make available on its website (i) a list identifying each LEA or public charter school that offers a Bible course app
r
oved pursuant to this bill and (ii) the academic standards for a Bible course that have been approved by the state board of education.

This bill requires each LEA and public charter school to make available on its website all Bible course curricula, incl
uding a list of instructional materials developed by the LEA or public charter school that have been approved by the local board of education or public charter school governing body. The state board of education must include in its list of approved high
s
chool courses an elective Bible course developed to be approved under this bill. The department must notify each LEA and public charter school in writing, no later than July 1 of each year, of the LEA's or public charter school's ability to offer an elec
t
ive state-funded Bible course consisting of a nonsectarian, nonreligious academic study of the Bible in accordance with this bill, and the ability of an LEA or public charter school to develop its own Bible course curriculum.

COURSE IMPLEMENTATION

Prese
nt law requires an LEA that elects to offer a course and utilize an associated textbook or instructional materials approved in accordance with academic standards authorized by the state board to implement the course in accordance with the constitutions of

the United States and this state. This bill adds that an LEA or public charter school that so elects to offer a course as provided above must implement the course in accordance with the constitutions of the United States and this state.

NO MANDATED OR PR
OHIBITED COURSES

Present law does not mandate an LEA to use the curriculum developed for approval by the state board for an academic study of the Bible, or prohibit an LEA from adopting its own curriculum for an academic study of the Bible, as long as an
y academic study of the Bible so offered is approved as a special course according to the rules of the state board of education and in compliance with the constitutions of the United States and this state. This bill provides the same for a public charter

school.

ON APRIL 15, 2025, THE SENATE ADOPTED AMENDMENT #1 AND PASSED SENATE BILL 298, AS AMENDED.

AMENDMENT #1 clarifies that a
course for an academic study of the Bible that was approved by the department
of education
before July 1, 2025, is not required to be approved

by the local board of education or the public charter school governing body
.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
SENATE BILL 298
By Roberts

HOUSE BILL 1197
By Kumar

HB1197
001623
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 49,
Chapter 6, relative to the nonsectarian,
nonreligious study of the Bible.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 49-6-1026(b), is amended by
deleting the word "curriculum" and substituting the word "course".
SECTION 2. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 49-6-1026(c), is amended by
deleting the subsection and substituting the following:
(c)
(1) Any course for an academic study of the Bible using a curriculum and
instructional materials developed by an LEA or a public charter school must be
approved by the local board of education or the public charter school governing
body and comply with subsection (a).
(2) The department of education shall make available on its website:
(A) A list identifying each LEA or public charter school that offers
a Bible course approved pursuant to subdivision (c)(1); and
(B) The academic standards for a Bible course that have been
approved by the state board of education under subsection (a).
(3) Each LEA and public charter school shall make available on its
website all Bible course curricula, including a list of instructional materials,
developed by the LEA or public charter school that have been approved by the
local board of education or public charter school governing body.

- 2 - 001623

(4) The state board of education shall include in its list of approved high
school courses an elective Bible course developed pursuant to this section.
(5) The department shall notify each LEA and public charter school in
writing, no later than July 1 of each year, of the LEA's or public charter school's
ability to offer an elective state-funded Bible course consisting of a nonsectarian,
nonreligious academic study of the Bible in accordance with this section, and the
ability of an LEA or public charter school to develop its own Bible course
curriculum.
SECTION 3. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 49-6-1026, is amended by adding
the language "or public charter school" immediately following the language "LEA" wherever it
appears in subsections (d) and (e).
SECTION 4. This act takes effect upon becoming a law, the public welfare requiring it,
and applies to the 2025-2026 school year and subsequent school years.