AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 49, relative to education.
Summary
HB0902 requires each local education agency (LEA) and public charter school in Tennessee to annually implement an evidence-based substance abuse and violence prevention program for students in grades 3 through 12. The program must include drug-prevention education that promotes anti-drug norms, teaches refusal skills, and builds life skills such as self-management and social skills. It must be delivered throughout the school year and be selected by the LEA or charter school.
The bill also specifies that the new program must supplement, not replace, existing school-based instruction and prevention efforts. Those existing efforts include DARE, character education, coordinated school health instruction, and family life instruction. The act takes effect July 1, 2025, and applies beginning with the 2025-2026 school year.
Impact
The bill amends Tennessee Code Annotated Title 49, Chapter 6, Part 10 by adding a new statewide requirement for LEAs and public charter schools to provide annual evidence-based substance abuse and violence prevention programming for grades 3-12. It creates a new ongoing obligation for school systems and charter schools, while preserving existing statutory programs by making the new instruction supplemental rather than replacing DARE, character education, coordinated school health, or family life instruction.
Sentiment
The available voting history suggests broad support for the bill, with strong committee majorities and no recorded opposition in the later Finance, Ways, and Means stages. The measure advanced through the House Education Administration Subcommittee, House Education Committee, and House Finance, Ways, and Means Committee with favorable recommendations, indicating general agreement with the bill’s prevention-focused approach.
Contention
The main point of discussion appears to be implementation rather than the policy goal itself. Because the bill requires an evidence-based program for all LEAs and public charter schools serving grades 3-12, likely areas of concern include local flexibility, program selection, and administrative or funding burdens. The repeated “pass if amended” recommendations suggest committees may have wanted technical or fiscal adjustments, but the available record does not show major ideological opposition.