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SB0124 • 2026

Students

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 49, relative to the transfer of student records.

Education Privacy
Active

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

Sponsor
Powers, Hemmer
Last action
2025-05-02
Official status
Effective date(s) 04/11/2025
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The bill summary and digest do not mention specific penalties for non-compliance or enforcement mechanisms.

Student Record Transfer Act

This bill requires local education agencies to provide copies of students' records within five business days when they transfer between schools or districts.

What This Bill Does

  • Requires a school district (LEA) to give student records, including academic, disciplinary, behavioral, and special education information, to another school in the same district within five business days after receiving a request.
  • Requires an LEA to send student records to another LEA when a student transfers between districts within five business days of receiving the request.
  • If an LEA or school provides a copy of a student's records to an LEA or school where the student intends to transfer but does not enroll, they must notify the sending school or district within five business days.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Students who transfer from one school to another in the same local education agency (LEA).
  • Students who transfer between different LEAs.
  • Local education agencies and schools that handle student record transfers.

Terms To Know

local education agency (LEA)
An organization responsible for providing public education in a specific area, such as a school district.
FERPA
The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, which is a federal law that protects the privacy of student educational records.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill does not specify what happens if an LEA fails to provide the required records within five business days.
  • It's unclear how this act will be enforced or what penalties might apply for non-compliance.

Amendments

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

Amendment 1-0 to HB0081

Plain English: The amendment changes how quickly schools must send student records to new schools when students transfer between schools or districts within Tennessee.

  • Schools in the same district (LEA) must give a copy of a transferring student's records, including academic and special education details, to the new school within five business days after receiving the request.
  • If a student transfers from one district to another, the original district must send all relevant records to the new district within five business days after receiving the transfer request.
  • Schools or districts that receive records for a student who does not end up transferring must inform the sending school or district within five business days.
  • The amendment text does not specify what happens if schools do not comply with these new requirements.
Amendment 1-0 to SB0124

Plain English: The amendment changes how quickly schools must transfer student records when students move between schools or districts within Tennessee.

  • Schools in the same district (LEA) must give a copy of a student's records to the new school within five business days after receiving a request for those records.
  • If a student moves from one district to another, the original district must send the student’s records to the new district within five business days after receiving the request.
  • Schools or districts that receive a student's records but find out the student does not enroll there must notify the sending school or district within five business days.
  • The amendment text does not specify what happens if schools do not comply with these requirements.

Bill History

  1. 2025-05-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Effective date(s) 04/11/2025

  2. 2025-05-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Pub. Ch. 156

  3. 2025-05-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Comp. became Pub. Ch. 156

  4. 2025-04-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Signed by Governor.

  5. 2025-04-03 Tennessee General Assembly

    Transmitted to Governor for action.

  6. 2025-04-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Signed by H. Speaker

  7. 2025-04-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Signed by Senate Speaker

  8. 2025-04-01 Tennessee General Assembly

    Enrolled and ready for signatures

  9. 2025-03-31 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed H., Ayes 95, Nays 0, PNV 0

  10. 2025-03-31 Tennessee General Assembly

    Am. withdrawn. (Amendment 1 - HA0166)

  11. 2025-03-31 Tennessee General Assembly

    Subst. for comp. HB.

  12. 2025-03-31 Tennessee General Assembly

    Comp. SB subst.

  13. 2025-03-31 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  14. 2025-03-27 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rcvd. from S., held on H. desk.

  15. 2025-03-27 Tennessee General Assembly

    H. Placed on Regular Calendar for 3/31/2025

  16. 2025-03-27 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  17. 2025-03-26 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Calendar & Rules Committee for 3/27/2025

  18. 2025-03-25 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  19. 2025-03-24 Tennessee General Assembly

    Engrossed; ready for transmission to House

  20. 2025-03-24 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed Senate as amended, Ayes 33, Nays 0

  21. 2025-03-24 Tennessee General Assembly

    Senate adopted Amendment (Amendment 1 - SA0178)

  22. 2025-03-21 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Regular Calendar for 3/24/2025

  23. 2025-03-19 Tennessee General Assembly

    Recommended for passage with amendment/s, refer to Senate Calendar Committee Ayes 7, Nays 0 PNV 0

  24. 2025-03-19 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  25. 2025-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  26. 2025-03-12 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  27. 2025-03-12 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  28. 2025-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  29. 2025-03-05 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  30. 2025-03-04 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  31. 2025-02-26 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  32. 2025-02-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action Def. in s/c Education Administration Subcommittee to 3/4/2025

  33. 2025-02-19 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Education Administration Subcommittee for 2/25/2025

  34. 2025-01-28 Tennessee General Assembly

    Assigned to s/c Education Administration Subcommittee

  35. 2025-01-16 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed on Second Consideration, refer to Senate Education Committee

  36. 2025-01-16 Tennessee General Assembly

    Ref. to Education Committee

  37. 2025-01-15 Tennessee General Assembly

    Introduced, Passed on First Consideration

  38. 2025-01-15 Tennessee General Assembly

    P2C held on desk, pending appointment of Standing Committees

  39. 2025-01-14 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

  40. 2025-01-14 Tennessee General Assembly

    Intro., P1C.

  41. 2025-01-09 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

Official Summary Text

ON MARCH 24, 2025, THE SENATE ADOPTED AMENDMENT #1 AND PASSED SENATE BILL 124, AS AMENDED.

AMENDMENT #1 rewrites the bill to, instead, add the following to present law:



If a student transfers from one school to another school in the same LEA, then the LEA
must
provide a copy of the student's records, including the student's academic, disciplinary, behavioral, and special education records, to the school to which the student transfers within five business days of the date on which the student's records request was received by the school. If a student transfers from one LEA to another LEA, then the LEA from which a student transfers
must
provide a copy of the student's records, including the student's academic, disciplinary, behavioral, and special education records, to the LEA to which the student transfers within five business days of the date on which the student's records request was received by the LEA.



If an LEA or school provides a copy of a student's records to an LEA or school to which the student has expressed an intent to transfer but does not transfer, then the LEA or school that received the copy of the student's records
must
notify the LEA or school from which such records were provided that the student did not enroll in the LEA or school within five business days of the date on which the LEA or school received the records.



An LEA or school that provides or receives student records pursuant to
the bill
must do so in compliance with the
federal
Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA
).

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
HOUSE BILL 81
By Hemmer

SENATE BILL 124
By Powers

SB0124
000520
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 49,
relative to the transfer of student records.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 49-6-3001(c)(1), is amended by
adding "within three (3) days of the transfer date" after "to which the student transfers".
SECTION 2. This act takes effect upon becoming a law, the public welfare requiring it.