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HB1250 • 2026

Teachers, Principals and School Personnel

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 49, relative to school chaplains.

Crime Education
Active

The official status still shows this bill as active or still awaiting another formal step.

Sponsor
Maberry, Pody
Last action
2026-02-26
Official status
Sponsor(s) Added.
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official source does not provide specific details on the cost or funding for hiring chaplains, nor does it specify who would pay for criminal background checks.

School Chaplain Program

This bill allows local school boards and charter schools to hire or accept volunteers as school chaplains who can provide support for students, staff, and parents.

What This Bill Does

  • Allows local school boards and public charter schools to employ or accept volunteers as school chaplains.
  • Specifies that a school chaplain does not need state certification but must pass a criminal background check.
  • Provides immunity from lawsuits for actions taken by the chaplain while performing their duties, except if those actions are malicious or intended to harm others.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Local boards of education
  • Public charter schools
  • School chaplains

Terms To Know

school chaplain
A member of the clergy who provides spiritual support in a school setting.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill does not specify how much it will cost schools to hire chaplains.
  • It is unclear who would pay for the criminal background checks required for school chaplains.

Amendments

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

Amendment 1-0 to HB1250

Plain English: The amendment changes the wording in a section about how someone can be charged with a crime related to school chaplains.

  • Removes 'willfully' from the requirement that an action must be done maliciously, willfully, and something else.
  • The amendment text is very technical and does not provide enough context about what specific actions or crimes it affects.
  • It's unclear how this change would impact actual legal cases involving school chaplains.

Bill History

  1. 2026-03-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Assigned to General Subcommittee of Senate Education Committee

  2. 2026-02-26 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  3. 2026-02-26 Tennessee General Assembly

    Held on desk.

  4. 2026-02-26 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) withdrawn.

  5. 2026-02-26 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Education Committee calendar for 3/4/2026

  6. 2026-02-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action deferred in Senate Education Committee to 3/4/2026

  7. 2026-02-18 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Education Committee calendar for 2/25/2026

  8. 2026-02-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    H. Placed on Regular Calendar for 2/26/2026

  9. 2026-02-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Reset on cal. for 2/26/2026

  10. 2026-02-09 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor change.

  11. 2026-02-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    H. Placed on Regular Calendar for 2/12/2026

  12. 2026-02-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Reset on cal. for 2/12/2026

  13. 2026-02-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Reset on cal. for 2/11/2026

  14. 2026-02-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    H. adopted am. (Amendment 1 - HA0168)

  15. 2026-02-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  16. 2026-02-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    H. Placed on Regular Calendar for 2/4/2026

  17. 2026-01-22 Tennessee General Assembly

    H. Placed on Regular Calendar for 1/28/2026

  18. 2026-01-21 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Calendar & Rules Committee for 1/22/2026

  19. 2026-01-20 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rec. for pass; ref to Calendar & Rules Committee

  20. 2026-01-14 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Finance, Ways, and Means Committee for 1/20/2026

  21. 2025-04-08 Tennessee General Assembly

    Taken off notice for cal. in Finance, Ways, and Means Committee

  22. 2025-04-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Finance, Ways, and Means Committee for 4/8/2025

  23. 2025-04-02 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  24. 2025-03-26 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee for 4/2/2025

  25. 2025-03-26 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  26. 2025-03-25 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  27. 2025-03-19 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  28. 2025-03-19 Tennessee General Assembly

    Assigned to General Subcommittee of Senate Education Committee

  29. 2025-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  30. 2025-03-12 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  31. 2025-03-12 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  32. 2025-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  33. 2025-03-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  34. 2025-03-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Education Administration Subcommittee for 3/11/2025

  35. 2025-02-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Assigned to s/c Education Administration Subcommittee

  36. 2025-02-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    P2C, ref. to Education Committee

  37. 2025-02-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed on Second Consideration, refer to Senate Education Committee

  38. 2025-02-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Intro., P1C.

  39. 2025-02-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Introduced, Passed on First Consideration

  40. 2025-02-06 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

  41. 2025-02-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

Official Summary Text

This bill authorizes a local board of education and public charter school governing body to employ or accept as a volunteer a school chaplain to provide support, services, and programs for students, school staff, and students' parents. A school chaplain
so employed or accepted as a volunteer is not required to be certified by the state board of education. However, such a school chaplain must undergo a criminal history records check, in the same manner as a teacher, and the same investigations required
of
applicants for teaching or child care positions pursuant to present law.

This bill clarifies that a person does not have a cause of action against a school chaplain for an action taken or statement made by the school chaplain while the school chaplain is acting in accordance with this bill. However, such immunity from liabil
ity does not apply to an action or statement made by a school chaplain, if the action or statement was taken or made maliciously or willfully and was deliberately intended to cause harm or to harass or intimidate those seeking support, services, and progr
am
s from the school chaplain.

As used in this bill, a "school chaplain" means a member of the clergy who is credentialed by a religious organization to (i) function in a pluralistic environment and (ii) support, directly or indirectly, the free exercise of religion by all individuals
in schools.

ON FEBRUARY 4, 2026, THE HOUSE ADOPTED AMENDMENT #1 AND RESET HOUSE BILL 1250, AS AMENDED.

AMENDMENT #1 clarifies that the civil immunity provided to a school chaplain under this bill does not apply to an action or statement made by a school chaplain, if the action or statement was taken or made maliciously or willfully, and was deliberately i
ntended to cause harm or to harass or intimidate those seeking support, services, and programs from the school chaplain.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
SENATE BILL 1041
By Bowling

HOUSE BILL 1250
By Maberry

HB1250
002877
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 49,
relative to school chaplains.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 49, Chapter 5, Part 1, is amended by
adding the following as a new section:
(a) A local board of education and public charter school governing body may
employ or accept as a volunteer a school chaplain to provide support, services, and
programs for students, school staff, and students' parents pursuant to this section.
(b) A school chaplain employed or accepted as a volunteer pursuant to this
section is not required to be certified by the state board of education.
(c) A local board of education or public charter school governing body that
employs or accepts as a volunteer a school chaplain shall ensure that the school
chaplain undergoes the criminal history record check required in § 49-5-406 and the
investigations required under § 49-5-413.
(d)
(1) A person does not have a cause of action against a school chaplain
for an action taken or statement made by the school chaplain while the school
chaplain is acting in accordance with this section.
(2) The immunity from liability provided for in this subsection (d) does not
apply to an action or statement made by a school chaplain, if the action or
statement was taken or made maliciously, willfully, and was deliberately intended

- 2 - 002877

to cause harm or to harass or intimidate those seeking support, services, and
programs from the school chaplain.
(e) As used in this section "school chaplain" means a member of the clergy who
is credentialed by a religious organization to:
(1) Function in a pluralistic environment; and
(2) Support, directly or indirectly, the free exercise of religion by all
individuals in schools.
SECTION 2. This act takes effect upon becoming a law, the public welfare requiring it.