Education

Plain English Breakdown

The bill summary text does not provide specific details on how funds will be distributed among schools that apply for grants, leaving some uncertainty in this area.

School Safety Grant Fund

This bill creates a fund to support local education agencies and charter schools in preventing and responding to school shootings.

What This Bill Does

• Creates a special account called the School Safety Grant Fund within the state's general fund.
• Requires the Department of Education to manage this fund, which will receive money from appropriations by the general assembly and donations.
• Allows the Department of Education to give grants to local education agencies and public charter schools that have experienced shootings or firearm-related deaths on school grounds while students were present.
• Establishes guidelines for applying for these grants based on need, such as availability of resources and number of incidents.
• Requires an annual report about how the money is used.

Who It Names or Affects

• Local education agencies and public charter schools in Tennessee
• The Department of Education

Terms To Know

local education agency (LEA)

a school district or other organization that provides educational services to students.

Limits and Unknowns

• It's unclear how the funds will be distributed among schools that apply for grants.
• The exact amount of money available for grants each year is not known.

Official Summary Text

This bill creates
within the state general fund a special account to be known as the school safety grant fund
, the purpose of which
is to support local education a
gencies (LEAs) and public charter schools with prevention, reduction, and response efforts with regard to school shootings.

The department of education
("department") must
administer the fund
, which is
composed of money appropriated by the general assembl
y for the fund, and gifts, grants, and other donations received by the department for the fund.

DISTRIBUTION OF GRANTS

Subject to the availability of funds,
this bill requires
the department
to
allocate and disperse grants to LEAs and public charter sch
ools that have had a shooting or other firearm-related death on school grounds on a school day while students were present. The department
must
establish and publish guidelines for applications, including eligibility, and the award of grants. Priority fo
r grants must be given to schools based on an evaluation of need, including the availability of school resource officers, the number of firearm-related incidents in the past two school years, and the financial resources of the LEA or public charter school.

ANNUAL REPORT

This bill requires the
department
to
submit an annual report to the education and finance, ways and means committees of the senate and the committees of the house of representatives with jurisdiction over budget-related matters and primar
y and secondary education-related matters by March 1 of each year on the status of this program and the allocation of grant funds.

RULEMAKING

This bill authorizes t
he state board of education
to
promulgate rules necessary to effectuate this
bill.

Current Bill Text

HOUSE BILL 1288
By Powell

SENATE BILL 1215
By Oliver

SB1215
003202
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 9 and
Title 49, relative to school safety grants.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 49, Chapter 3, is amended by adding
the following as a new part:
49-3-601.
(a) There is created within the state general fund a special account to be known
as the school safety grant fund. The purpose of the fund is to support local education
agencies (LEAs) and public charter schools with prevention, reduction, and response
efforts with regard to school shootings.
(b) The department of education shall administer the fund.
(c) The fund is composed of money appropriated by the general assembly for
the fund, and gifts, grants, and other donations received by the department for the fund.
(d) Subject to the availability of funds, the department shall allocate and disperse
grants to LEAs and public charter schools that have had a shooting or other firearm-
related death on school grounds on a school day while students were present. The
department shall establish and publish guidelines for applications, including eligibility,
and the award of grants. Priority for grants must be given to schools based on an
evaluation of need, including the availability of school resource officers, the number of
firearm-related incidents in the past two (2) school years, and the financial resources of
the LEA or public charter school.

- 2 - 003202

(e) The state treasurer shall invest moneys in the fund for the benefit of the fund
in accordance with § 9-4-603. Interest accruing on investments and deposits of the fund
must be credited to and remain part of the fund. Any unencumbered moneys and any
unexpended balance of the fund remaining at the end of a fiscal year do not revert to the
general fund, but must be carried forward until expended in accordance with this section.
(f) The department shall submit an annual report to the education and finance,
ways and means committees of the senate and the committees of the house of
representatives with jurisdiction over budget-related matters and primary and secondary
education-related matters by March 1, 2026, and by March 1 of each subsequent year
on the status of this program and the allocation of grant funds.
(g) The state board of education may promulgate rules necessary to effectuate
this section. The rules must be promulgated in accordance with the Uniform
Administrative Procedures Act, compiled in title 4, chapter 5.
SECTION 2. This act takes effect July 1, 2025, the public welfare requiring it.