Local Education Agencies

Plain English Breakdown

The bill's effectiveness depends on local implementation by each LEA.

School Safety Act

This bill allows certain trained school employees to conduct searches and clarifies when local education agencies must notify parents about credible threats or disruptive behavior.

What This Bill Does

• Allows a properly trained school employee, designated by the principal, to conduct physical searches of students and their belongings under specific circumstances.
• Requires that an LEA (Local Education Agency) determine if a threat is credible before notifying parents and guardians within 48 hours.
• Specifies that only threats determined to be credible after a thorough assessment must trigger parental notification.
• Clarifies that involvement with law enforcement does not automatically mean the threat is considered credible for parental notification purposes.

Who It Names or Affects

• Local Education Agencies (LEAs) in Tennessee
• School employees designated by principals to conduct searches
• Parents and guardians of students enrolled in public schools

Terms To Know

LEA

Local Education Agency, which refers to the local school district.

Credible Threat

A threat that is determined by an LEA to be real and likely after a thorough assessment.

Limits and Unknowns

• The bill does not specify what constitutes proper training for school employees conducting searches.
• It remains unclear how the determination of credibility will be made in practice.

Official Summary Text

Present law generally limits authorization to conduct searches on school property to school resources officers, school security officers, and properly trained school administrators. This bill adds authorization for a properly trained school employee desi
gnated by a school principal to conduct such a search.

Present law requires an LEA that receives credible information regarding a threat of violence or significantly disruptive behavior directed toward, or occurring on the grounds of, a public school in the LEA, and that reports the threat or disruptive behav
ior to a state or local law enforcement agency, to also notify the parents and guardians of students enrolled in the public school of the same threat or disruptive behavior the LEA reported to law enforcement. This bill specifies that, under such circums
t
ances, the LEA is only required to notify students' parents and guardians of the threat

if the LEA determines that the threat or disruptive behavior is credible following a threat assessment conducted pursuant to a policy of the local board of education or a threat assessment protocol approved by the department of education. Similarly, the
present law requirement that a threat be reported to students' parents and guardians within 48 hours of making the report to law enforcement is changed to require that t
he notification of parents and guardians occur within 48 hours the LEA determining that the threat of violence or significantly disruptive behavior is credible. This bill specifies that the involvement of an SRO or an armed school security officer, or an
y consultation by an SRO, armed school security officer, or any other administrative staff or school personnel with a state or local law enforcement agency or the department of safety for purposes of assessing, investigating, or requesting assistance with
a
threat of violence or significantly disruptive behavior does not, on its own, constitute a determination by the LEA that the threat or disruptive behavior is credible for purposes of triggering the parental notification requirement. This bill also makes
technical clarifications to present law reporting requirements concerning quarterly reports of the number of reported incidences of threats of violence or significantly disruptive behavior in order to clarify that in those incidences determined to be cre
di
ble must be included in the quarterly reports.

ON APRIL 6, 2026, THE SENATE ADOPTED AMENDMENT #1 AND PASSED SENATE BILL 2599, AS AMENDED.

AMENDMENT #1 r
emoves the requirement that an LEA determine the credibility of a report of significantly disruptive behavior before notifying parents and adds a requirement that

a
n LEA determine a threat of violence to be credible if the person who communicated the threat of violence has the intent and apparent capability to carry out a targeted act of violence.

Current Bill Text

SENATE BILL 2599
By Southerland

HOUSE BILL 2364
By Hawk
HB2364
012157
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 49,
Chapter 6, relative to school safety.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 49-6-4204(a)(2), is amended by
adding the following as a new subdivision:
(D) School employee who:
(i) Is designated by the principal to conduct a search pursuant to
subsection (a) in the principal's absence; and
(ii) Has completed training pursuant to § 49-6-4212.
SECTION 2. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 49-6-4205(a)(2), is amended by
adding the following as a new subdivision:
(D) School employee who:
(i) Is designated by the principal to conduct a search pursuant to
subsection (a) in the principal's absence; and
(ii) Has completed training pursuant to § 49-6-4212.
SECTION 3. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 49-6-4212(a), is amended by
deleting subdivision (3) and substituting instead the following:
(3) A school administrator, or school employee designated by a school principal
to conduct a search pursuant to § 49-6-4204(a)(2)(D) or § 49-6-4205(a)(2)(D) in the
principal's absence, must complete the orientation and training program developed by
the department pursuant to subdivision (a)(1) prior to conducting a search pursuant to §
49-6-4204(a)(2)(C) or (D) or § 49-6-4205(a)(2)(C) or (D), as applicable.

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SECTION 4. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 49-6-2704, is amended by deleting
the section and substituting instead the following:
(a) An LEA that receives, from a threat assessment team or any other source,
information regarding a threat of violence or significantly disruptive behavior directed
toward, or occurring on the grounds of, a public school in the LEA, and that reports the
threat or disruptive behavior to a state or local law enforcement agency, shall notify the
parents and guardians of students enrolled in the public school of the threat or disruptive
behavior, but only if the threat or disruptive behavior is determined by the LEA to be
credible following a threat assessment conducted pursuant to a policy of the local board
of education or a threat assessment protocol approved by the department of education.
(b) The LEA shall notify parents and guardians within forty-eight (48) hours of
the LEA determining that the threat of violence or significantly disruptive behavior is
credible. Parental notification made pursuant to this subsection (b) may be made using
existing communication methods for providing information to parents and guardians.
(c) For purposes of this section, a report made to a school resource officer, as
defined in § 49-6-4202, or an off-duty law enforcement officer who is serving as an
armed school security officer pursuant to § 49-6-809, is not a report to a state or local
law enforcement agency. The involvement of a school resource officer or an armed
school security officer, or any consultation by a school resource officer, armed school
security officer, or any other administrative staff or school personnel with a state or local
law enforcement agency or the department of safety for purposes of assessing,
investigating, or requesting assistance with a threat of violence or significantly disruptive
behavior does not, on its own, constitute a determination by the LEA that the threat or
disruptive behavior is credible for purposes of subsection (a).
(d) Each local board of education shall report at each quarterly meeting:

- 3 - 012157

(1) The total number of any threats of violence or significantly disruptive
behavior directed toward, or occurring on the grounds of, a public school in the
LEA determined by the LEA to be credible requiring notice to parents and
guardians in accordance with subsection (b) for the respective quarter; and
(2) The total number of any threats of violence or significantly disruptive
behavior directed toward, or occurring on the grounds of, a public school in the
LEA determined by the LEA to be credible requiring notice to parents and
guardians in accordance with subsection (b) for the year to date.
SECTION 5. This act takes effect July 1, 2026, the public welfare requiring it.