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SB1073 • 2026

Local Education Agencies

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 49, Chapter 10 and Title 49, Chapter 6, relative to special education.

Education Parental Rights
Enacted

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

Sponsor
Johnson, McCalmon
Last action
2025-04-28
Official status
Comp. became Pub. Ch. 199
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official source material does not provide details about consequences for non-receipt of notices, handling of unforeseen circumstances, or frequency of updates. These points were removed as they are speculative and unsupported by the provided text.

Rules for Schools About Special Education Meetings

This bill requires local education agencies in Tennessee to notify parents or guardians at least 10 days before an IEP meeting and provide them with evaluations and assessments of the student, as well as a draft IEP if created, at least 48 hours before the meeting.

What This Bill Does

  • Requires LEAs to notify a student's parent or guardian at least 10 calendar days before the student's IEP meeting unless both parties agree otherwise.
  • Provides parents or guardians with copies of all evaluations and assessments conducted for the student's IEP, at least 48 hours before the IEP meeting.
  • If an LEA creates a draft IEP prior to the meeting, it must provide this draft to the parent or guardian unless they decline in writing more than 48 hours before the meeting.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Local education agencies (LEAs) in Tennessee
  • Parents and guardians of students who need special education services

Terms To Know

IEP
Individualized Education Program, a plan for students with disabilities that outlines their educational goals and the support they will receive.
LEA
Local Education Agency, which is usually a school district or other local government agency responsible for providing public education.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill does not specify what happens if parents do not receive the required notices on time.
  • It's unclear how LEAs will handle situations where parents and guardians cannot attend meetings due to unforeseen circumstances.
  • The bill doesn't address how often these notifications must be given or updated.

Amendments

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

Amendment 1-0 to HB0861

Plain English: The amendment adds new requirements for local education agencies (LEAs) to notify parents or guardians about Individualized Education Program (IEP) team meetings and provide them with necessary documents before these meetings.

  • An LEA must inform a parent or guardian at least ten calendar days before an IEP meeting, unless both parties agree on an earlier date.
  • At least forty-eight hours before the IEP meeting, the LEA must give parents or guardians copies of the student's evaluation report and draft IEP (if one exists).
  • The amendment does not specify what happens if a parent or guardian declines to receive the draft IEP.
Amendment 1-0 to SB1073

Plain English: The amendment adds new requirements for local education agencies (LEAs) to notify parents or guardians about Individualized Education Program (IEP) team meetings and provide them with necessary documents in advance.

  • An LEA must inform a parent or guardian at least ten calendar days before an IEP meeting, unless both parties agree on an earlier date.
  • At least forty-eight hours before the IEP meeting, the LEA must give parents or guardians copies of the student's evaluation report and draft IEP (if one exists).
  • The amendment does not specify what happens if a parent or guardian declines to receive the draft IEP.

Bill History

  1. 2025-04-28 Tennessee General Assembly

    Comp. became Pub. Ch. 199

  2. 2025-04-28 Tennessee General Assembly

    Effective date(s) 04/11/2025

  3. 2025-04-28 Tennessee General Assembly

    Pub. Ch. 199

  4. 2025-04-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Signed by Governor.

  5. 2025-04-03 Tennessee General Assembly

    Transmitted to Governor for his action.

  6. 2025-04-03 Tennessee General Assembly

    Signed by Senate Speaker

  7. 2025-04-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Signed by H. Speaker

  8. 2025-03-28 Tennessee General Assembly

    Enrolled; ready for sig. of H. Speaker.

  9. 2025-03-27 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  10. 2025-03-27 Tennessee General Assembly

    Companion House Bill substituted

  11. 2025-03-27 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed Senate, Ayes 31, Nays 0

  12. 2025-03-27 Tennessee General Assembly

    Amendment withdrawn. (Amendment 1 - SA0168)

  13. 2025-03-27 Tennessee General Assembly

    Senate substituted House Bill for companion Senate Bill.

  14. 2025-03-27 Tennessee General Assembly

    Received from House, Passed on First Consideration

  15. 2025-03-27 Tennessee General Assembly

    Engrossed; ready for transmission to Sen.

  16. 2025-03-27 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed H., as am., Ayes 92, Nays 1, PNV 2

  17. 2025-03-27 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  18. 2025-03-27 Tennessee General Assembly

    H. adopted am. (Amendment 1 - HA0058)

  19. 2025-03-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Regular Calendar for 3/27/2025

  20. 2025-03-20 Tennessee General Assembly

    H. Placed on Regular Calendar for 3/27/2025

  21. 2025-03-19 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  22. 2025-03-19 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Calendar & Rules Committee for 3/20/2025

  23. 2025-03-12 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  24. 2025-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  25. 2025-03-05 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  26. 2025-03-04 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  27. 2025-02-26 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  28. 2025-02-26 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  29. 2025-02-25 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  30. 2025-02-19 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  31. 2025-02-18 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  32. 2025-02-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed on Second Consideration, refer to Senate Education Committee

  33. 2025-02-12 Tennessee General Assembly

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

  34. 2025-02-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Introduced, Passed on First Consideration

  35. 2025-02-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Assigned to s/c Education Administration Subcommittee

  36. 2025-02-06 Tennessee General Assembly

    P2C, ref. to Education Committee

  37. 2025-02-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

  38. 2025-02-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Intro., P1C.

  39. 2025-02-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

Official Summary Text

This bill requires LEAs to do the following:

(1) Notify a student's parent or guardian at least 10 days before the student's individualized education program (IEP) meeting to ensure that the parent or guardian has an opportunity to attend, unless the
parent or guardian and LEA mutually agree to meet prior to 10 calendar days in accordance with rules promulgated by the state board of education; and

(2) Provide the following to the student's parent or guardian at least 48 hours prior to the IEP schedu
led meeting:

(A) A copy of all evaluations and assessments of the student conducted for purposes of the student's IEP; and

(B) If the LEA creates a draft IEP for the student prior to the IEP meeting, then a copy of the student's draft IEP, unless the s
tudent's parent or guardian provides written notice to the LEA more than 48 hours prior to the scheduled IEP meeting declining the parent's or guardian's right to receive a copy of the draft IEP.

ON MARCH 27, 2025, THE HOUSE ADOPTED AMENDMENT #1 AND PASS
ED HOUSE BILL 861, AS AMENDED.

AMENDMENT #1 makes the following revisions:



Clarifies that references to an "IEP meeting" throughout the bill refer to an IEP team meeting.



Revises the provision requiring the
LEA
to
provide to the parent or guardian of the student who is the subject of the IEP team meeting at least 48 hours prior to
such meeting a
copy of all evaluations and assessments of the student conducted for purposes of the student's IEP
to, instead, provide a
copy of the student's evaluation report that is to be used in the determination of the student's eligibility for special education or in the development of the draft IEP
.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text
HOUSE BILL 861
By McCalmon

SENATE BILL 1073
By Johnson

SB1073
002944
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 49,
Chapter 10 and Title 49, Chapter 6, relative to
special education.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 49-10-103, is amended by adding
the following as a new subsection:
(d)
(1) An LEA shall notify a parent or guardian of a student at least ten (10)
calendar days before the student's IEP meeting to ensure that the parent or
guardian has an opportunity to attend, unless the parent or guardian and LEA
mutually agree to meet prior to ten (10) calendar days in accordance with rules
promulgated by the state board of education.
(2) An LEA shall provide the following to the parent or guardian of the
student who is the subject of the IEP meeting at least forty-eight (48) hours prior
to the IEP scheduled meeting:
(A) A copy of all evaluations and assessments of the student
conducted for purposes of the student's IEP; and
(B) If the LEA creates a draft IEP for the student prior to the IEP
meeting, then a copy of the student's draft IEP, unless the student's
parent or guardian provides written notice to the LEA more than forty-
eight (48) hours prior to the scheduled IEP meeting declining the parent's
or guardian's right to receive a copy of the draft IEP.
SECTION 2. This act takes effect upon becoming a law, the public welfare requiring it.