Education

Plain English Breakdown

The official source does not provide specific details on how the bill defines 'valid' and 'credible' threats.

Amending Laws on Threats of Violence

This bill changes Tennessee laws to require that threats of violence against schools must be valid and credible to trigger certain actions by schools and law enforcement.

What This Bill Does

• Changes the definition of threatening mass violence at school to only include valid and credible threats, making it a felony.
• Requires local education agencies (LEAs) to have mental health professionals assess students who may pose a threat, with assessments done via telehealth if needed.
• Updates LEA procedures to notify parents when there is a valid and credible threat of violence at school.
• Revises the requirement for schools to report threats of mass violence to law enforcement only if they are determined to be valid and credible.

Who It Names or Affects

• Students who make threats that may affect their schooling or legal status.
• School officials responsible for assessing and reporting threats.
• Parents and guardians notified about credible threats at school.

Terms To Know

valid threat

A threat that is real and not just a joke or exaggeration.

credible threat

A believable threat based on evidence, not just words alone.

Limits and Unknowns

• The bill does not specify what makes a threat 'valid' or 'credible'.
• It is unclear how the changes will affect current cases involving threats of violence.
• The new rules take effect in July 2026, giving schools time to update their procedures.

Official Summary Text

Under present law, a person who recklessly, by any means of communication, threatens to commit an act of mass violence on school property or at a school-related activity commits a Class E felony. This bill adds as elements of the offense that the threat
must be valid and credible.

Present law requires LEAs to establish threat assessment teams to develop comprehensive intervention-based approaches to prevent violence, manage reports of potential threats, and create a system that fosters a safe, supportive, and effective school envi
ronment.

One duty of a threat assessment team is to establish procedures for the assessment of individuals exhibiting behavior that may present a threat to the health or safety of the individual or others. This bill adds that,

i
f the individual to be assessed is a student, then the procedure must include an assessment performed by a mental healthcare provider. The assessment may be performed by telehealth and must evaluate the welfare of the child. The mental healthcare provid
er must provide a written assessment
of the student's mental health to the threat team.

Present law requires an
LEA that receives
cr
edible information regarding a threat of violence or significantly disruptive behavior directed toward, or occurring on the grounds of, a public school in the LEA, and that reports the threat or disruptive behavior to a state or local law enforcement agen
cy,
to
also notify the parents and guardians of students enrolled in the public school of the same threat or disruptive behavior the LEA reported to law enforcement
. This bill adds that the threat of violence mu
st be valid and credible in order to trigger the parental notification requirement.

If a student threatens mass violence on school property or at a school-related activity
,
then
present law requires
the director of schools or the head of the public charter school,
to
require the student to submit to a threat assessment to determine whether the threat of mass violence made by the student was a valid threat.
This bill specifies that the
determin
ation must also consider
whether the threat of mass violence was
credible.

Present law requires a
director of schools or the head of a public charter school who has knowledge of a valid threat of mass violence on school property or at a school-related activity made by a student
to
immediately report such action to the municipal or metropolitan police department or sheriff's department having jurisdiction.
This bill adds that the threat must also be credible in order to trigger to the law enforcement notification requirement.

Current Bill Text

HOUSE BILL 2348
By Hardaway

SENATE BILL 2660
By Akbari
SB2660
010988
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 39
and Title 49, relative to threats of violence.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 39-16-517(b)(1), is amended by
deleting the subdivision and substituting:
(1) A person who recklessly, by any means of communication, makes a valid
and credible threat to commit an act of mass violence on school property or at a school-
related activity commits a Class E felony.
SECTION 2. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 49-6-2701(c)(7)(A), is amended by
deleting the subdivision and substituting:
(A) Assessment of individuals exhibiting behavior that may present a threat to
the health or safety of the individual or others. If the individual to be assessed is a
student, then the procedure must include an assessment performed by a mental
healthcare provider. The assessment may be performed by telehealth and must
evaluate the welfare of the child. The mental healthcare provider must provide a written
assessment of the student's mental health to the threat team. As used in this
subdivision (c)(7)(A), "mental healthcare provider" means:
(i) A psychiatrist;
(ii) A physician with expertise in psychiatry as determined by training,
education, or experience;
(iii) An advanced practice registered nurse with special certification in
mental health or psychiatric nursing;

- 2 - 010988

(iv) An advanced practice registered nurse with expertise in mental
health or psychiatric nursing as determined by training, education, or experience;
(v) A psychologist with health service provider designation;
(vi) A senior psychological examiner;
(vii) A licensed professional counselor;
(viii) A licensed clinical social worker; or
(ix) A school psychologist;
SECTION 3. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 49-6-2704, is amended by deleting
the language "threat of violence" wherever it appears and substituting "valid and credible threat
of violence".
SECTION 4. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 49-6-3401(g)(5), is amended by
deleting the language "valid threat" wherever it appears and substituting "valid and credible
threat".
SECTION 5. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 49-6-4301(a)(3), is amended by
deleting the subdivision and substituting:
(3) A director of schools or the head of a public charter school who has
knowledge of a valid and credible threat of mass violence on school property or at a
school-related activity pursuant to § 39-16-517 made by a student shall immediately
report such action to the municipal or metropolitan police department or sheriff's
department having jurisdiction. A threat of mass violence is valid and credible for
purposes of this subdivision (a)(3) if such a determination is made based on the results
of the threat assessment required in § 49-6-3401(g)(5).
SECTION 6. This act takes effect July 1, 2026, the public welfare requiring it.