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SB0583 • 2026

Education, Dept. of

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 37 and Title 49, relative to after school programs.

Children Education
Active

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

Sponsor
Akbari, Hakeem
Last action
2025-03-19
Official status
Assigned to General Subcommittee of Senate Education Committee
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The bill's official status shows it as active or still awaiting another formal step, indicating that the exact funding and implementation details are yet to be determined.

After School Program Grants for High Juvenile Offense Areas

This bill requires the Tennessee Department of Education to award grants to local education agencies in counties with high juvenile offense rates to help provide after-school programs for K-12 students.

What This Bill Does

  • Requires the department of education to give grants to eligible local education agencies (LEAs) that have submitted approved applications.
  • Defines an 'eligible LEA' as one operating or authorizing at least one public school in a county with a juvenile offense rate 10% higher than the statewide average.
  • Specifies that grant funds must be used for after-school programs, which can include expanding existing programs, creating new ones, or partnering with nonprofit organizations.
  • Requires eligible LEAs to submit annual reports detailing their use of grant funds and program outcomes.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Local education agencies in counties with high juvenile offense rates
  • Students enrolled in K-12 public schools within these areas

Terms To Know

Eligible LEA
A local education agency that operates or authorizes at least one public school in a county with a juvenile offense rate 10% higher than the statewide average.
County Juvenile Offense Rate
The number of crimes committed by individuals aged 10-17, per 1,000 residents in a given county.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill requires funding to be available for the grants.
  • It does not specify how much money will be allocated for these grants each year.

Bill History

  1. 2025-03-19 Tennessee General Assembly

    Assigned to General Subcommittee of Senate Education Committee

  2. 2025-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly

    Taken off notice for cal in s/c Education Administration Subcommittee of Education Committee

  3. 2025-03-12 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  4. 2025-03-12 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  5. 2025-02-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed on Second Consideration, refer to Senate Education Committee

  6. 2025-02-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Assigned to s/c Education Administration Subcommittee

  7. 2025-02-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Introduced, Passed on First Consideration

  8. 2025-02-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    P2C, ref. to Education Committee

  9. 2025-02-06 Tennessee General Assembly

    Intro., P1C.

  10. 2025-02-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

  11. 2025-01-30 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

Official Summary Text

Subject to appropriation,
this bill requires
the department
of education

to
award grants to eligible
local
education agencies (
LEAs
)
that have submitted a grant application approved by the department to enable such LEAs to provide after school programs for students
in grades K-12 who are
enrolled in
a
n LEA
that operates or serves as the charter authorizer for
at least one public school located in a county for which the
county
juvenile offense rate is
at least
10%

higher than the statewide juvenile offense rate ("
eligible LEA
")
.
As used in this bill, the
"
county j
uvenile offense rate"
and "statewide juvenile of
fense rate"
means the
number
of crimes committed by individuals who are between
10-17
, both inclusive,
in a given county or in this state, for every 1,000 residents of the county
, as published by the Tennessee bureau of investigation
.

GRANT APPLICATION

This bill requires an
eligible LEA seeking
such
a grant
to
submit an application to the department at such time, and in such manner, as the department requires. Each grant application must, at a minimum, include
all of
the following:



The
county
juvenile offense rate for the most recent fiscal year for which data is available for the county in which at least one public school is located
.



An assurance that the eligible LEA will directly provide after school programs using grant funds or will partner with
a 501(c)(3)
nonprofit organization for that organization to provide after school programs using grant funds
.



Details regarding the activities and frequency of the after school programs that will be provided using grant funds.

AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAMS

This bill requires an
eligible LEA that receives a grant
to
use the grant funds to operate after school programs for eligible students, which may include
(i) e
xpanding existing after school programs for eligible students
,
(
ii
)
p
roviding new after school pr
ograms for eligible students
,
or

(
iii
)
p
artnering with a
501(c)(3)

nonprofit organization for the organization to operate after school programs for eligible students.

After school programs provided using grant funds must include educational activities and
programming.

RENEWAL OF GRANT

This bill authorizes an
LEA that receives a grant
to
apply to renew the grant in a subsequent year. The department
must,
subject to available funds, award a grant to an LEA that received a grant in the prior year, even if
the LEA is no longer an eligible LEA because the
county
juvenile offense rate for the county in which at least one public school is
not at least
10%

higher than the statewide juvenile offense rate
.

ALLOCATION OF GRANTS

From the total amount of grant funds available to the department for purposes of this
bill
,
this bill requires
the department
to
allocate to each eligible LEA with a department-approved application, a grant in an amount that bears the same relationship to
the total amount of grant funds available as the number of eligible students who will be served by the eligible LEA pursuant to this
bill
bears to the total number of eligible students who will be served by all eligible LEAs pursuant to this
bill
.

ANNUAL
REPORT

This bill requires each
eligible LEA that receives a grant
to
submit an annual report to
legislative
committee
s
describing
(i) t
he number of public schools served by an after school program established or maintained by the eligible LEA using grant
funds
, (ii) t
he number of eligible students served at each after school program established or maintained by the eligible LEA using grant funds
,
and

(
iii
)
t
he general successes and vulnerabilities of the after school programs established or maintained by
the eligible LEA using grant funds.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text
HOUSE BILL 1004
By Hakeem

SENATE BILL 583
By Akbari

SB0583
002053
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 37
and Title 49, relative to after school programs.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 49, Chapter 6, Part 7, is amended by
adding the following as a new section:
(a) As used in this section:
(1) "County juvenile offense rate" means the number of crimes committed
by individuals who are between ten (10) and seventeen (17) years of age, both
inclusive, in a given county, for every one thousand (1,000) residents of the
county, as published by the Tennessee bureau of investigation;
(2) "Department" means the department of education;
(3) "Eligible LEA" means a local education agency that operates or
serves as the charter authorizer for at least one (1) public school located in a
county for which the county juvenile offense rate is at least ten percent (10%)
higher than the statewide juvenile offense rate;
(4) "Eligible nonprofit organization" means a 501(c)(3) organization
exempt from federal income taxation under § 501(a) of the Internal Revenue
Code (26 U.S.C. § 501(a)) that operates after school programs;
(5) "Eligible student" means a student enrolled in a public school in any
of the grades kindergarten through twelve (K-12);
(6) "Public school" means any school in this state that serves students in
any of the grades kindergarten through twelve (K-12) and that is operated as part

- 2 - 002053

of a local education agency, by this state with public funds, or pursuant to a
charter agreement, as defined in § 49-13-104; and
(7) "Statewide juvenile offense rate" means the number of crimes
committed by individuals who are between ten (10) and seventeen (17) years of
age, both inclusive, in this state, for every one thousand (1,000) residents of this
state, as published by the Tennessee bureau of investigation.
(b) Subject to appropriation, the department shall award grants to eligible LEAs
that have submitted a grant application approved by the department to enable such
LEAs to provide after school programs for eligible students enrolled in the eligible LEA.
(c) An eligible LEA seeking a grant under this section must submit an application
to the department at such time, and in such manner, as the department requires. Each
grant application must, at a minimum, include the following:
(1) The county juvenile offense rate for the most recent fiscal year for
which data is available for the county in which at least one (1) public school is
located;
(2) An assurance that the eligible LEA will directly provide after school
programs using grant funds or will partner with an eligible nonprofit organization
for that organization to provide after school programs using grant funds; and
(3) Details regarding the activities and frequency of the after school
programs that will be provided using grant funds received under this section.
(d)
(1) An eligible LEA that receives a grant must use the grant funds to
operate after school programs for eligible students, which may include:
(A) Expanding existing after school programs for eligible students;
(B) Providing new after school programs for eligible students; or

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(C) Partnering with an eligible nonprofit organization for the
organization to operate after school programs for eligible students.
(2) After school programs provided using grant funds received pursuant
to this section must include educational activities and programming.
(3) An LEA that receives a grant pursuant to this section may apply to
renew the grant in a subsequent year. The department shall, subject to available
funds, award a grant to an LEA that received a grant in the prior year, even if the
LEA is no longer an eligible LEA because the county juvenile offense rate for the
county in which at least one (1) public school is located is not at least ten percent
(10%) higher than the statewide juvenile offense rate.
(e) From the total amount of grant funds available to the department for
purposes of this section, the department shall allocate to each eligible LEA with a
department-approved application, a grant in an amount that bears the same relationship
to the total amount of grant funds available as the number of eligible students who will
be served by the eligible LEA pursuant to this section bears to the total number of
eligible students who will be served by all eligible LEAs pursuant to this section.
(f) Each eligible LEA that receives a grant under this section must submit an
annual report to the committee of the house of representatives with jurisdiction over after
school programs for students in any of the grades kindergarten through twelve (K-12)
and the education committee of the senate describing:
(1) The number of public schools served by an after school program
established or maintained by the eligible LEA using grant funds;
(2) The number of eligible students served at each after school program
established or maintained by the eligible LEA using grant funds; and

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(3) The general successes and vulnerabilities of the after school
programs established or maintained by the eligible LEA using grant funds.
SECTION 2. For purposes of awarding grants to eligible LEAs, this act takes effect July
1, 2025, the public welfare requiring it. For all other purposes, this act takes effect upon
becoming a law, the public welfare requiring it.