Local Education Agencies

Plain English Breakdown

The official source material does not provide specific details on the costs of implementation or whether current contracts meet the bill's requirements.

Internet Safety for Tennessee Students

This bill updates rules for internet use in schools to include safety protocols and communication with parents about online dangers.

What This Bill Does

• Requires local education agencies (LEAs) and public charter schools to adopt policies that protect students from harmful content online.
• Establishes guidelines for communicating with parents about internet safety using existing methods like parent-teacher conferences.
• Sets rules to prevent students from accessing websites, apps, or software that don't protect personal information.
• Requires LEAs and public charter schools to evaluate their internet policies twice a year and update them if needed.
• Makes providers of digital resources filter out violent, frightening, or self-harm promoting content unless it has educational value.

Who It Names or Affects

• Local education agencies (LEAs) in Tennessee
• Public charter schools in Tennessee

Terms To Know

Internet Acceptable Use Policy

A set of rules that LEAs and public charter schools must follow to ensure safe internet use by students.

LEA

Local Education Agency, which refers to school districts or other local educational organizations in Tennessee.

Limits and Unknowns

• The bill does not specify how much it will cost LEAs and public charter schools to implement these new rules.
• It is unclear if all current contracts with digital resource providers meet the requirements of this bill.

Official Summary Text

Present law requires each LEA to adopt an internet acceptable use policy that includes provisions that:

(1) Are designed to prohibit certain inappropriate use by school district employees and students of the school district's computers via the internet;

(2) Seek to prevent access by students to material that the school district deems to be harmful to juveniles;

(3) Select technology for the LEA's computers having internet access that prevent access to pornography, obscenity, and materials that are harmful to minors;

(4) Establish appropriate measures to be taken against persons who violate the policy;

(5) Include a component on internet safety for students that is integrated in a school district's instructional program;

(6) Encourage communications with parents that raise awareness about internet safety using existing avenues of communication;

(7) Limit the content accessible by students using internet access provided by the LEA to content that is age-appropriate;

(8) Protect the safety and security of students accessing email, chat rooms, and other forms of direct, electronic communication using internet access provided by the LEA; and

(9) Prevent students from using internet access provided by the LEA to access websites, web applications, or software that does not protect students against the disclosure, use, or dissemination of their personal information.

This bill instead requires

e
ach LEA and public charter school
to
adopt an internet acceptable use policy
that establishes
:

(
1
) Internet safety protocols for students that are integrated into the LEA's or public charter school's instructional program;

(
2
) Guidelines for effective communication with parents to raise awareness of internet safety using existing avenues of communication, such as parent-teacher conferences;

(
3
) Rules designed to protect the safety and security of students who use the internet access provided by the LEA or public charter school to access any form of direct, electronic communication online;

(
4
) Safeguards to prevent students from using the internet access provided by the LEA or public charter school to access websites, web applications, or software that does not protect students against the disclosure, use, or dissemination of their personal
information; and

(
5
) Limitations on accessing websites through the internet provided by the LEA or public charter school by only allowing access to websites that are deemed by the LEA or public charter school as acceptable to access.
The full text of this bill specifies types of content that cannot be deemed acceptable
.

This bill maintains present law authorization to include other terms in an
internet acceptable use policy
and extends that authorization to policies adopted by public charter schools
.

This bill requires e
ach LEA and public charter school
to
evaluate its internet acceptable use policy at least twice each year, and update the policy, if necessary.

Present law requires a
provider of digital or online resources, with which an LEA or a state agency contracts for the provision of digital or online materials created and marketed for K-12 school
to abide by certain terms to prevent students from accessing prohibited material. This bill extends such requirements to providers that enter such contracts with public charter schools and adds a requirement that the provider

f
ilter, block, or otherwise prevent access through any provided digital or online materi
als to:

(
1
) Content that is violent or frightening for the age or maturity level of the student who may access the content, if the LEA, public charter school, or state agency, as applicable, determines that the content has no educational value; and

(
2
) Content that promotes self-harm
.

Present law exempts medical resources and archival collections from the requirements for providers that contract with an LEA or state agency
or the provision of digital or online materials created and marketed for K-12 school
and the requirement that the contracting LEA or state agency implement a process to receive and review complaints. This bill extends the exemption for medical resources to applicable contracts in which a public charter school is a party and removes the
exemption for archival collecti
ons.

This bill authorizes a
n LEA or public charter school
to
create an email address for students in grades pre-K-5 for the purpose of using the email address as a data point to identify the student in security or grading software
; provided, that the student must not be permitted to
access
such
email address for the transmi
ssion
or recei
pt of
emails.

This bill requires e
ach local board of education and public charter school governing body
to
select, employ, or contract with a third party with experience monitoring acceptable internet use to conduct an annual audit of the LEA's or public charter school's compliance with the LEA's or public charter school's internet acceptable use policy and to
ensure that the policy complies with this
bill
.

The LEA or public charter school
is required to
publish the results of the most

recent audit on its website.

If a student under 18 years of age accesses a website using the internet access provided by the LEA or public charter school in violation of the LEA's or public charter school's internet acceptable use policy, then
this bill requires
the LEA or public charter school
to
notify the student's parent or guardian of the prohibited access immediately upon notice to the LEA or public charter school.

This
bill specifies that its provisions do not impair c
ontract
s

en
tered into before July 1, 2026.

Current Bill Text

HOUSE BILL 1886
By Cepicky

SENATE BILL 1912
By Hensley
SB1912
011049
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 49,
relative to acceptable uses of technology provided
by public schools.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 49-1-221, is amended by deleting the
section.
SECTION 2. Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 49, Chapter 6, Part 3, is amended by
adding the following as a new section:
(a)
(1) Each LEA and public charter school shall adopt an internet
acceptable use policy. At a minimum, the policy must establish:
(A) Internet safety protocols for students that are integrated into
the LEA's or public charter school's instructional program;
(B) Guidelines for effective communication with parents to raise
awareness of internet safety using existing avenues of communication,
such as parent-teacher conferences;
(C) Rules designed to protect the safety and security of students
who use the internet access provided by the LEA or public charter school
to access email, chat rooms, or any other form of direct, electronic
communication online;
(D) Safeguards to prevent students from using the internet
access provided by the LEA or public charter school to access websites,

- 2 - 011049

web applications, or software that does not protect students against the
disclosure, use, or dissemination of their personal information; and
(E) Limitations on accessing websites through the internet
provided by the LEA or public charter school by only allowing access to
websites that are deemed by the LEA or public charter school as
acceptable to access. An LEA or public charter school shall not deem a
website acceptable for purposes of this subdivision (a)(1)(E) if the
website's content:
(i) Is deemed harmful to students by the LEA or public
charter school;
(ii) Is pornographic or obscene;
(iii) Is violent or frightening for the age or maturity level of
the student who may access the content, and the LEA or public
charter school determines that the content has no educational
value;
(iv) Promotes self-harm; or
(v) Is harmful to minors, as defined in § 39-17-901.
(2) An internet acceptable use policy may include other terms,
conditions, and requirements deemed appropriate by the adopting LEA or public
charter school, such as requiring written parental authorization for internet use by
juveniles or differentiating acceptable uses of the internet among elementary,
middle, and high school students.
(3) Each LEA and public charter school shall evaluate its internet
acceptable use policy at least twice each year, and update the policy, if
necessary.

- 3 - 011049

(b) The director of schools or the director of the public charter school shall take
all steps appropriate and necessary to implement and enforce the LEA's or public
charter school's internet acceptable use policy.
(c)
(1) A provider of digital or online resources, with which an LEA, public
charter school, or state agency contracts for the provision of digital or online
materials created and marketed for pre-kindergarten through grade twelve (pre-
K-12) school use, shall:
(A) Verify that the digital or online materials it provides to the
LEA, public charter school, or state agency do not violate § 39-17-902;
(B) Filter, block, or otherwise prevent access through any
provided digital or online materials to:
(i) Pornography and obscenity;
(ii) Content that is violent or frightening for the age or
maturity level of the student who may access the content, if the
LEA, public charter school, or state agency, as applicable,
determines that the content has no educational value; and
(iii) Content that promotes self-harm;
(C) Verify, in writing, that the provider's technology prevents a
user from sending, receiving, viewing, or downloading materials that are
harmful to minors, as defined in § 39-17-901; and
(D) Remove, upon the request of the contracting LEA, public
charter school, or state agency, access to digital or online materials for
ages or audiences that the contracting LEA, public charter school, or
state agency has determined to be age- or audience-inappropriate. A

- 4 - 011049

provider must remove access to any digital or online material described in
this subdivision (c)(1)(D) within one (1) business day of the provider's
receipt of the contracting LEA's, public charter school's, or state agency's
request for removal, unless the deadline for removal of the material is
extended by mutual consent of the contracting parties.
(2) An LEA, public charter school, or state agency that contracts with a
third party for the provision of digital or online materials that are created and
marketed for pre-kindergarten through grade twelve (pre-K-12) school use shall
adopt and implement a policy that establishes a process for a person to file a
complaint with an LEA, public charter school, or state agency that is alleged to be
using a material in violation of subdivision (c)(1). The process established
pursuant to this subdivision (c)(2) must require an LEA, public charter school, or
state agency that receives a complaint to timely review the complaint and
determine whether further action is necessary.
(3) This subsection (c) does not apply to medical resources.
(d) An LEA or public charter school may create an email address for students in
grades pre-kindergarten through five (pre-K-5) for the purpose of using the email
address as a data point to identify the student in security or grading software. An LEA or
public charter school shall not allow a student in any of the grades pre-kindergarten
through five (pre-K-5) to access an email address that is created for the student by the
LEA or public charter school for the student to transmit or receive emails using the email
address.
(e)
(1) Each local board of education and public charter school governing
body shall select, employ, or contract with a third party with experience

- 5 - 011049

monitoring acceptable internet use to conduct an annual audit of the LEA's or
public charter school's compliance with the LEA's or public charter school's
internet acceptable use policy and to ensure that the policy complies with this
section.
(2) A local board of education or public charter school governing body
may comply with subdivision (e)(1) by performing an e-rate audit required by the
Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC), if the e-rate audit meets the
requirements in subdivision (e)(1).
(3) The LEA or public charter school shall publish the results of the most-
recent audit on its website.
(f) If a student under eighteen (18) years of age accesses a website using the
internet access provided by the LEA or public charter school in violation of the LEA's or
public charter school's internet acceptable use policy, then the LEA or public charter
school shall notify the student's parent or guardian of the prohibited access immediately
upon notice to the LEA or public charter school.
(g) This section does not abridge or impair a contract or agreement entered into
before July 1, 2026. Any such contract or agreement remains in full force and effect until
the expiration of the contract or agreement.
SECTION 3. This act takes effect July 1, 2026, the public welfare requiring it.