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SB0517 • 2026

Education

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

Children Education Parental Rights
Enacted

This bill passed the Legislature and reached final enactment based on the latest official action.

Sponsor
Akbari, Hardaway
Last action
2025-05-27
Official status
Comp. became Pub. Ch. 484
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

Checked against official source text during the last sync.

Tennessee School Attendance Act

This law allows schools to use up to four days of hybrid learning during dangerous weather or emergencies and sets rules for student attendance and special education services.

What This Bill Does

  • Allows local education agencies (LEAs) and public charter schools to provide up to four days of classroom instruction through hybrid learning when there are dangerous weather conditions or emergencies, as determined by the director of schools or the director of the public charter school.
  • Requires LEAs and public charter schools providing hybrid learning to ensure kindergarten students get at least four hours of daily instruction and grades 1-12 students receive at least six and a half hours.
  • Requires LEAs and public charter schools to track student attendance during remote learning by getting confirmation from parents or guardians about their child's participation in class.
  • Ensures that all state and federal laws, rules, and policies are followed when using hybrid learning days.
  • Makes sure students with Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) receive the services they need on hybrid learning days.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Local education agencies
  • Public charter schools
  • Students in kindergarten through grade 12

Terms To Know

Hybrid Learning
An instructional day where some students participate in-person classroom instruction and others participate in remote classroom instruction.
Individualized Education Program (IEP)
A plan for students with disabilities that outlines their special education needs and services.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The law does not specify what happens if a school uses all four hybrid learning days in a year.
  • It is unclear how the commissioner will decide on additional hybrid learning days beyond the initial four allowed by the bill.

Bill History

  1. 2025-05-27 Tennessee General Assembly

    Comp. became Pub. Ch. 484

  2. 2025-05-27 Tennessee General Assembly

    Effective date(s) 07/01/2025

  3. 2025-05-27 Tennessee General Assembly

    Pub. Ch. 484

  4. 2025-05-21 Tennessee General Assembly

    Signed by Governor.

  5. 2025-05-09 Tennessee General Assembly

    Transmitted to Governor for his action.

  6. 2025-05-08 Tennessee General Assembly

    Signed by Senate Speaker

  7. 2025-04-30 Tennessee General Assembly

    Signed by H. Speaker

  8. 2025-04-28 Tennessee General Assembly

    Enrolled; ready for sig. of H. Speaker.

  9. 2025-04-22 Tennessee General Assembly

    Companion House Bill substituted

  10. 2025-04-22 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed Senate, Ayes 32, Nays 0

  11. 2025-04-22 Tennessee General Assembly

    Senate substituted House Bill for companion Senate Bill.

  12. 2025-04-21 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Regular Calendar for 4/22/2025

  13. 2025-04-09 Tennessee General Assembly

    Received from House, Passed on First Consideration

  14. 2025-04-08 Tennessee General Assembly

    Engrossed; ready for transmission to Sen.

  15. 2025-04-07 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed H., Ayes 96, Nays 0, PNV 0

  16. 2025-04-03 Tennessee General Assembly

    H. Placed on Consent Calendar for 4/7/2025

  17. 2025-04-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Calendar & Rules Committee for 4/3/2025

  18. 2025-04-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rec. for pass; ref to Calendar & Rules Committee

  19. 2025-03-26 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  20. 2025-03-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  21. 2025-03-24 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  22. 2025-03-24 Tennessee General Assembly

    Re-refer to S. Cal Comm

  23. 2025-03-21 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Regular Calendar for 3/24/2025

  24. 2025-03-20 Tennessee General Assembly

    Senate Reset on calendar for 3/24/2025

  25. 2025-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Regular Calendar for 3/20/2025

  26. 2025-03-17 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  27. 2025-03-17 Tennessee General Assembly

    Senate Reset on calendar for 3/20/2025

  28. 2025-03-17 Tennessee General Assembly

    Re-ref. Education Committee

  29. 2025-03-14 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Regular Calendar for 3/17/2025

  30. 2025-03-13 Tennessee General Assembly

    H. Placed on Regular Calendar for 3/17/2025

  31. 2025-03-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Recommended for passage, refer to Senate Calendar Committee

  32. 2025-03-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Calendar & Rules Committee for 3/13/2025

  33. 2025-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rec. for pass; ref to Calendar & Rules Committee

  34. 2025-03-05 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  35. 2025-03-05 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  36. 2025-03-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action def. in Education Committee to 3/11/2025

  37. 2025-02-26 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Education Committee for 3/4/2025

  38. 2025-02-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action def. in Education Committee to 3/4/2025

  39. 2025-02-20 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  40. 2025-02-19 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Education Committee for 2/25/2025

  41. 2025-02-18 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  42. 2025-02-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed on Second Consideration, refer to Senate Education Committee

  43. 2025-02-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  44. 2025-02-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Education Administration Subcommittee for 2/18/2025

  45. 2025-02-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Introduced, Passed on First Consideration

  46. 2025-02-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Assigned to s/c Education Administration Subcommittee

  47. 2025-02-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    P2C, ref. to Education Committee

  48. 2025-02-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  49. 2025-02-03 Tennessee General Assembly

    Intro., P1C.

  50. 2025-01-30 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

  51. 2025-01-30 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  52. 2025-01-29 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  53. 2025-01-28 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

Official Summary Text

Present law generally requires e
ach public school system
to
maintain a term of no less than 200 days,
with at least
180
of such
days for classroom instruction
. This bill authorizes an
LEA or public ch
arter school
to
provide up to four days of
such
required days of classroom instruction via hybrid learning in the event of dangerous or extreme weather conditions, or an emergency, as determined by the director of schools or the director of the public char
ter school.

This bill requires an
LEA or public charter school that provides hybrid learning pursuant to this
bill to
provide
(i) s
tudents enrolled in kindergarten access to at least four hours of instruction each day and
(ii) s
tudents enrolled in grades
1-12 access to at least
6.5
hours of instruction each day.

In tracking daily student attendance and compliance with state school attendance and truancy intervention laws, an LEA and public charter school
must
implement policies and procedures for the LEA
or public charter school to request and receive daily visual, verbal, or written confirmation of student participation in instructional time; determine excused versus unexcused student absences; and implement interventions to address student absences dur
i
ng remote instruction.

This bill also provides the following:



That e
ach LEA and public charter school that provides hybrid learning pursuant to this
bill must
comply with all state and federal laws, rules, and policies.



That e
ach LEA and public charter school
must
make services required by a student's individualized education program (IEP) available to the student on days that hybrid learning is provided pursuant to this
bill.



That if
an LEA or public charter school uses the maximum amount of days authorized for hybrid learning in a school year, then the LEA or public charter school may request the commissioner to authorize additional days for hybrid learning in the event of a natural disaster or serious outbreaks of illness affecting or endangering students or staff.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
HOUSE BILL 485
By Hardaway

SENATE BILL 517
By Akbari

SB0517
002076
- 1 -

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

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 49-6-3004, is amended by adding
the following as a new subsection:
(j)
(1) An LEA or public charter school may provide up to four (4) days of the
required one hundred eighty (180) days of classroom instruction in subdivision
(a)(1) via hybrid learning in the event of dangerous or extreme weather
conditions, or an emergency, as determined by the director of schools or the
director of the public charter school in accordance with this subsection (j).
(2) An LEA or public charter school that provides hybrid learning
pursuant to this subsection (j), shall provide:
(A) Students enrolled in kindergarten access to at least four (4)
hours of instruction each day; and
(B) Students enrolled in grades one through twelve (1-12) access
to at least six and one-half (6 1/2) hours of instruction each day.
(3) In tracking daily student attendance and compliance with state school
attendance and truancy intervention laws, an LEA and public charter school shall
implement policies and procedures for the LEA or public charter school to
request and receive daily visual, verbal, or written confirmation of student
participation in instructional time; determine excused versus unexcused student

- 2 - 002076

absences; and implement interventions to address student absences during
remote instruction.
(4) Each LEA and public charter school that provides hybrid learning
pursuant to this subsection (j) shall comply with all state and federal laws, rules,
and policies.
(5) Each LEA and public charter school shall make services required by
a student's individualized education program (IEP) available to the student on
days that hybrid learning is provided pursuant to this subsection (j).
(6) If an LEA or public charter school uses the maximum amount of days
authorized for hybrid learning pursuant to subdivision (j)(1) in a school year, then
the LEA or public charter school may request the commissioner to authorize
additional days for hybrid learning in the event of a natural disaster or serious
outbreaks of illness affecting or endangering students or staff.
(7) As used in this subsection (j), "hybrid learning" means an instructional
day in which some students participate in-person classroom instruction and some
students participate in remote classroom instruction.
SECTION 2. This act takes effect July 1, 2025, the public welfare requiring it.