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HB1262 • 2026

Education

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 49, relative to public schools.

Education Labor
Active

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

Sponsor
Reneau, Rose
Last action
2025-04-02
Official status
Taken off notice for cal. in Education Committee
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official source material does not provide specific details on how schools should handle situations involving preferred pronouns, leaving some uncertainty about implementation.

Act to Amend Pronoun Rules in Tennessee Schools

This bill amends existing laws regarding pronouns used by teachers, employees, and students in Tennessee schools.

What This Bill Does

  • Expands the rules for using preferred pronouns to include students as well as teachers and staff.
  • Allows teachers, staff, and students not to use a person's preferred pronoun if it doesn't match their biological sex.
  • Protects teachers, staff, and students from being punished or sued for using pronouns that match someone’s biological sex instead of their preferred pronoun.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Teachers
  • School employees
  • Students

Terms To Know

Preferred Pronoun
A personal choice of pronouns that someone prefers to be called by, which may not match their biological sex.
Biological Sex
The physical characteristics a person is born with, such as chromosomes and anatomy.

Limits and Unknowns

  • It does not specify how schools should handle situations where preferred pronouns are used.
  • The bill's full impact on school policies remains to be seen.

Bill History

  1. 2025-04-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Taken off notice for cal. in Education Committee

  2. 2025-03-26 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  3. 2025-03-26 Tennessee General Assembly

    Assigned to General Subcommittee of Senate Education Committee

  4. 2025-03-25 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  5. 2025-03-19 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  6. 2025-03-19 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Education Committee calendar for 3/26/2025

  7. 2025-03-19 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action deferred in Senate Education Committee to 3/26/2025

  8. 2025-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  9. 2025-03-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Education Administration Subcommittee for 3/18/2025

  10. 2025-03-12 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  11. 2025-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action Def. in s/c Education Administration Subcommittee to 3/18/2025

  12. 2025-03-05 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  13. 2025-03-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  14. 2025-03-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action Def. in s/c Education Administration Subcommittee to 3/11/2025

  15. 2025-02-27 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  16. 2025-02-26 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  17. 2025-02-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Assigned to s/c Education Administration Subcommittee

  18. 2025-02-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    P2C, ref. to Education Committee

  19. 2025-02-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed on Second Consideration, refer to Senate Education Committee

  20. 2025-02-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Intro., P1C.

  21. 2025-02-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Introduced, Passed on First Consideration

  22. 2025-02-06 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

  23. 2025-02-06 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

Official Summary Text

Present law provides that a
teacher or other employee of a public school or LEA is not:

(1) Required to use a student's preferred pronoun when referring to the student if the preferred pronou
n is not consistent with the student's biological sex;

(2) Civilly liable for using a pronoun that is consistent with the biological sex of the student to whom the teacher or employee is referring, even if the pronoun is not the
s
tudent's preferred prono
un; and

(3) Subject to an adverse employment action for not using a student's preferred pronoun, if the student's preferred pronoun is inconsistent with the student's biological sex.

Under present law, a
public school or LEA is not civilly liable if a
teacher or employee of the public school or LEA refers to a student using a pronoun that is consistent with the biological sex of the student to whom the teacher or employee is referring, even if the pronoun is not the student's preferred pronoun.

This b
ill extends the provisions of (1)
–
(3) and the present law concerning civil immunity for public schools and LEAs to students of public schools and LEAs while at school and prohibits disciplinary action against a student for failure to use a preferred pro
n
oun that is inconsistent with the preferer's biological sex. This bill makes the provisions of (1)
–
(3) and the present law concerning civil immunity for public schools and LEAs applicable to the use of preferred pronouns of teachers and school employee
s
that are inconsistent with such persons' biological sex. This bill clarifies that the immunity from civil liability in (2) and the present law concerning civil immunity for public schools and LEAs is for causes of action arising under state law.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
SENATE BILL 1252
By Rose

HOUSE BILL 1262
By Reneau

HB1262
003379
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 49,
relative to public schools.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 49-6-5102(a)(1), is amended by
deleting "Teachers and employees of public schools and LEAs" and substituting instead
"Teachers, employees, and students of public schools and LEAs".
SECTION 2. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 49-6-5102(a)(1), is amended by
deleting "work" and substituting instead "work or school".
SECTION 3. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 49-6-5102(a)(2), is amended by
deleting "teachers and employees of public schools and LEAs" and substituting instead
"teachers, employees, and students of public schools and LEAs".
SECTION 4. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 49-6-5102(a)(3), is amended by
deleting "teachers and employees" and substituting instead "teachers, employees, and
students".
SECTION 5. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 49-6-5102(a)(4), is amended by
deleting "teacher or employee" wherever it appears and substituting instead "teacher,
employee, or student".
SECTION 6. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 49-6-5102(b), is amended by
deleting "A teacher or other employee of a public school or LEA" and substituting instead "A
teacher, employee, or student of a public school or LEA".
SECTION 7. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 49-6-5102(b)(1), is amended by
deleting "a student's preferred pronoun" and substituting instead "the preferred pronoun of a

- 2 - 003379

teacher, school employee, or student", deleting "the student" and substituting instead "the
teacher, school employee, or student", and deleting "the student's" and substituting instead "the
biological sex of the teacher, school employee, or student".
SECTION 8. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 49-6-5102(b)(2), is amended by
adding the language "under the laws of this state" after the language "Civilly liable", deleting
"the student" and substituting instead "a teacher, school employee, or student", deleting
"teacher or employee" and substituting instead "teacher, school employee, or student", and
deleting "student's preferred pronoun" and substituting instead "preferred pronoun of the
teacher, school employee, or student".
SECTION 9. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 49-6-5102(b)(3), is amended by
deleting "employment action" and substituting instead "employment or disciplinary action",
deleting "a student's preferred pronoun" and substituting instead "the preferred pronoun of a
teacher, school employee, or student", deleting "student's" wherever it appears in the
subdivision, and adding the following language after "biological sex":
of the teacher, school employee, or student
SECTION 10. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 49-6-5102(c), is amended by
adding the language "under the laws of this state" after the language "civilly liable", deleting
"teacher or employee of the public school or LEA" and substituting instead "teacher, employee,
or student of the public school or LEA", deleting "a student" and substituting instead "a teacher,
school employee, or student", deleting "the student" and substituting instead "the teacher,
school employee, or student", deleting "the teacher or employee" and substituting instead "the
teacher, school employee, or student", deleting "student's", and adding the following language
after "preferred pronoun":
of the teacher, school employee, or student
SECTION 11. This act takes effect upon becoming a law, the public welfare requiring it.