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SB0161 • 2026

Local Education Agencies

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 49, Chapter 2, relative to boards of education.

Education Elections
Active

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

Sponsor
Hensley, Kumar
Last action
2025-05-13
Official status
Effective date(s) 05/05/2025, 07/01/2025
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official summary does not provide specific details on the extent of local expenditures or how they will be managed.

Student Representatives on School Boards

This act requires local education agencies in Tennessee that operate high schools to select one student representative from their junior or senior class to serve as a nonvoting member of the board during public meetings.

What This Bill Does

  • Requires each school board for an LEA with at least one high school to choose one junior or senior student to be a nonvoting member on the board.
  • The chosen student must attend all public meetings but not private executive sessions.
  • If a student misses more than two meetings, they can be replaced by another qualified student.
  • Boards must create rules for selecting and replacing student representatives, ensuring fair opportunities for students from different schools.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Local education agencies in Tennessee that operate high schools
  • High school juniors and seniors who are selected to serve on the board

Terms To Know

LEA (Local Education Agency)
An organization responsible for providing public education within a specific area.
Nonvoting member
Someone who can attend meetings and give opinions but cannot vote on decisions.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill does not specify how much money will be spent on this program.
  • Boards of education that already have student advisory groups before July 1, 2025, are exempt from creating new policies for student representatives.

Amendments

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

Amendment 1-0 to HB1199

Plain English: This amendment changes Tennessee law to require high schools in each local education agency (LEA) to allow a student to serve as an advisory, non-voting member on their board of education.

  • Adds a new requirement for boards of education that operate at least one high school to adopt and implement a policy allowing a high school student to serve as an advisory, non-voting representative on the board.
  • Allows the board to set additional eligibility requirements for students who want to be representatives.
  • Specifies that the student representative serves without pay but may receive reimbursement for expenses related to board business.
  • The amendment does not specify how many or which high schools must have a student representative, leaving this detail up to each local education agency's discretion.
Amendment 2-0 to HB1199

Plain English: This amendment changes Tennessee law to require school boards that run high schools to let students serve as nonvoting advisors during public meetings, unless the board already had a student advisory group before July 1, 2025.

  • School boards for local education agencies (LEAs) operating at least one high school must allow a student from that high school to be an advisory, non-voting member during public meetings.
  • This requirement does not apply if the board already had a similar student advisory group in place before July 1, 2025.
  • The amendment allows boards to set additional rules for students who want to join as advisors.
  • The exact details of how schools will implement this change are not specified and may vary.
Amendment 1-0 to SB0161

Plain English: This amendment changes Tennessee law to require boards of education in local education agencies (LEAs) that have at least one high school to allow a student from that high school to serve as an advisory, non-voting member on the board.

  • Boards of education for LEAs with at least one high school must adopt and implement a policy allowing a high school student to be an advisory, non-voting representative on the board.
  • The amendment specifies that students serving in this role do not receive compensation but may be reimbursed for expenses related to their participation.
  • The exact details of how boards will establish eligibility requirements for student representatives are not specified in the amendment text.

Bill History

  1. 2025-05-13 Tennessee General Assembly

    Effective date(s) 05/05/2025, 07/01/2025

  2. 2025-05-13 Tennessee General Assembly

    Pub. Ch. 359

  3. 2025-05-13 Tennessee General Assembly

    Comp. became Pub. Ch. 359

  4. 2025-05-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Signed by Governor.

  5. 2025-04-23 Tennessee General Assembly

    Transmitted to Governor for action.

  6. 2025-04-22 Tennessee General Assembly

    Signed by H. Speaker

  7. 2025-04-22 Tennessee General Assembly

    Signed by Senate Speaker

  8. 2025-04-22 Tennessee General Assembly

    Enrolled and ready for signatures

  9. 2025-04-17 Tennessee General Assembly

    Concurred, Ayes 33, Nays 0 (Amendment 2 - HA0420)

  10. 2025-04-16 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Message Calendar for 4/17/2025

  11. 2025-04-16 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed H., as am., Ayes 86, Nays 1, PNV 6

  12. 2025-04-16 Tennessee General Assembly

    H. adopted am. (Amendment 2 - HA0420)

  13. 2025-04-16 Tennessee General Assembly

    Am. withdrawn. (Amendment 1 - HA0163)

  14. 2025-04-16 Tennessee General Assembly

    Subst. for comp. HB.

  15. 2025-04-16 Tennessee General Assembly

    Comp. SB subst.

  16. 2025-04-16 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  17. 2025-04-15 Tennessee General Assembly

    H. Placed on Regular Calendar for 4/16/2025

  18. 2025-04-14 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Calendar & Rules Committee for 4/15/2025

  19. 2025-04-14 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  20. 2025-04-09 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Finance, Ways, and Means Committee for 4/14/2025

  21. 2025-04-08 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action def. in Finance, Ways, and Means Committee to 4/15/2025

  22. 2025-04-07 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  23. 2025-04-03 Tennessee General Assembly

    Engrossed; ready for transmission to House

  24. 2025-04-03 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed Senate as amended, Ayes 29, Nays 0

  25. 2025-04-03 Tennessee General Assembly

    Senate adopted Amendment (Amendment 1 - SA0279)

  26. 2025-04-02 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  27. 2025-04-02 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  28. 2025-04-01 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Regular Calendar for 4/3/2025

  29. 2025-03-27 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  30. 2025-03-26 Tennessee General Assembly

    Recommended for passage with amendment/s, refer to Senate Calendar Committee Ayes 8, Nays 0 PNV 1

  31. 2025-03-26 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  32. 2025-03-26 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  33. 2025-03-25 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  34. 2025-03-19 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  35. 2025-03-19 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  36. 2025-03-19 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  37. 2025-03-19 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  38. 2025-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  39. 2025-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  40. 2025-03-12 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  41. 2025-03-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action deferred in Senate Education Committee to 3/19/2025

  42. 2025-03-12 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  43. 2025-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  44. 2025-03-05 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  45. 2025-03-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  46. 2025-03-05 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  47. 2025-02-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Assigned to s/c Education Administration Subcommittee

  48. 2025-02-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    P2C, ref. to Education Committee

  49. 2025-02-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Intro., P1C.

  50. 2025-02-06 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

  51. 2025-01-27 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed on Second Consideration, refer to Senate Education Committee

  52. 2025-01-16 Tennessee General Assembly

    Introduced, Passed on First Consideration

  53. 2025-01-15 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

Official Summary Text

Present law authorizes local boards o
f education for each local education agency (LEA) that operates one or more high schools to annually select, prior to commencement of the new school year, up to four high school students to serve as advisory, nonvoting members of the board. The students
s
erve without compensation but may, at the discretion of the board, be reimbursed for reasonable and necessary expenses incurred while engaged in board business. This bill requires each board of education for an LEA that operates at least one high school
t
o select one junior or senior student to serve as a nonvoting student representative on the board, to serve as the voice of the student body. The student must serve without compensation but may, at the discretion of the board, be reimbursed for reasonabl
e
and necessary expenses incurred while engaged in board business.

This bill requires each local board of education to (i)
adopt a policy authorizing at least one junior or senior student who is enrolled at a high school operated by the respective LEA to
serve as a nonvoting student representative on the board, and (ii) establish the process for selecting the nonvoting student representative and must ensure students enrolled in one high school operated by the LEA have the same opportunity as students enro
l
led at another high school operated by the LEA to serve as a nonvoting student representative. Each board may establish additional eligibility requirements.

This bill provides that all of the following applies to nonvoting student representatives:



A nonvoting student representative
must serve at least one one-year term on the board. Each one-year term coincides with the school year for which the nonvoting student representative is selected.



A nonvoting student representative must attend all board meetings unless it is a confidential, nonpublic executive session of the board. If a nonvoting student representative fails to attend more than two board meetings during the student's term on the board, then the board must remove the student from the student's position on the board and select another qualified student to serve as the nonvoting student representative for the remainder of the school year.



A nonvoting student representative may serve an additional one-year term if the student served as the representative during the student's junior year. However, a student is not eligible to serve as a nonvoting student representative on the board if the student withdraws, transfers, or graduates from the high school at which the student was enrolled at the time of selection.



A nonvoting student representative must meet any additional requirements established by the board.

ON APRIL 3, 2025, THE SENATE ADOPTED AMENDMENT #1 AND PASSED SENATE BILL 161, AS AMENDED.

AMENDMENT #1 rewrites the bill to, instead, (
i) require each board of education for a local education agency (LEA) that operates at least one high school to adopt and implement a policy to authorize a high school student to serve as an advisory, nonvoting representative on the board; (ii) authorize
t
he board to establish additional eligibility requirements for a student who seeks to serve on the board as an advisory, nonvoting student representative; and (iii) provide that a student serves without compensation but may, at the discretion of the board,

be reimbursed for reasonable and necessary expenses incurred while engaged in board business.

ON APRIL 16, 2025, THE HOUSE SUBSTITUTED SENATE BILL 161 FOR HOUSE BILL 1199, ADOPTED AMENDMENT #2, AND PASSED SENATE BILL 161, AS AMENDED.

AMENDMENT #2 adds an exception to the requirement for adopting a policy to authorize a high school student to serve as an advisory, nonvoting board member for
board
s
of education that created an advisory group before July 1, 2025, that consists of at least
one student from each high school operated by the LEA and that meets on a regular basis to advise the board
.

For boards that remain subject to this bill's requirement, this amendment limits the meetings on which the high school representative must be al
lowed to serve to meetings that are open to the public.

This amendment removes authorization for a board to allow reimbursement of expenses for a
student who serves as the advisory, nonvoting student
r
epresentative
.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
HOUSE BILL 1199
By Kumar

SENATE BILL 161
By Hensley

SB0161
001116
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 49,
Chapter 2, relative to boards of education.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 49-2-202, is amended by deleting
subsection (f) and substituting instead the following:
(f)
(1) Notwithstanding § 49-2-201 or this section to the contrary, each board
of education for an LEA that operates at least one (1) high school shall select
one (1) junior or senior student to serve as a nonvoting student representative on
the board to serve as the voice of the student body.
(2) Nonvoting student representatives must be selected according to the
process established by the board pursuant to subdivision (f)(5) and must serve at
least one (1) one-year term on the board. Each one-year term coincides with the
school year for which the nonvoting student representative is selected.
(3)
(A) Nonvoting student representatives must attend all board
meetings; provided, that the student representative shall not attend
confidential, nonpublic executive sessions of the board.
(B) If a nonvoting student representative fails to attend more than
(2) board meetings during the student's term on the board, then the board
shall remove the student from the student's position on the board and

- 2 - 001116

shall select another qualified student to serve as the nonvoting student
representative for the remainder of the school year.
(4) Each nonvoting student representative must:
(A) Be a junior or senior in a high school operated by the LEA;
(B) Serve at least one (1) one-year term on the board as a
nonvoting student representative, but may serve as a nonvoting student
representative for an additional one-year term if the student served as the
nonvoting student representative during the student's junior year. A
student is not eligible to serve as a nonvoting student representative on
the board if the student withdraws, transfers, or graduates from the high
school at which the student was enrolled at the time of selection; and
(C) Meet any additional requirements established by the board.
(5) Each board shall adopt a policy authorizing at least one (1) junior or
senior student who is enrolled at a high school operated by the respective LEA to
serve as a nonvoting student representative on the board in accordance with this
subsection (f). The board may establish additional eligibility requirements for
students who seek to serve on the board as a nonvoting student representative.
The policy must establish the process for selecting the nonvoting student
representative and must ensure students enrolled in one (1) high school
operated by the LEA have the same opportunity as students enrolled at another
high school operated by the LEA to serve as a nonvoting student representative.
(6) Students serve as nonvoting student members of a board without
compensation but may, at the discretion of the board, be reimbursed for
reasonable and necessary expenses incurred while engaged in board business.

- 3 - 001116

SECTION 2. For the purpose of developing and adopting the required policy, this act
takes effect upon becoming a law, the public welfare requiring it. For all other purposes, this act
takes effect July 1, 2025, the public welfare requiring it, and applies to the 2025-2026 school
year and each school year thereafter.