AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 10 and Title 49, relative to special education.
Summary
HB2410 authorizes local education agencies (LEAs) and public charter schools in Tennessee to install and maintain video camera surveillance systems in special education classrooms to promote teacher and student safety. If a school chooses to install such a system, it must continuously monitor the classroom while special education or related services are being provided, but only if the parents of a majority of the students assigned to that classroom consent in writing to their children being monitored.
The bill also sets rules for access to recordings. Parents or legal guardians of students featured in the footage may view it, subject to state and federal privacy laws, and a teacher featured in footage may view it if the teacher believes it contains evidence of an assault on the teacher. Local boards of education or charter school governing bodies must adopt policies governing implementation, including how long recordings are retained. The bill states that funding is intended to come from available school safety grants and clarifies that it is not an appropriation, so no funds may be spent unless specifically appropriated in the general appropriations act.
Impact
The bill would add a new section to Tennessee Code Annotated Title 49 governing surveillance in special education classrooms, creating a permissive framework for video monitoring in self-contained special education settings. It affects LEAs and public charter schools, establishes consent and privacy requirements, and requires local policy adoption on retention of footage. It also references FERPA and Tennessee public records/privacy law, and it limits implementation to the 2026-2027 school year and later, with policy development effective immediately upon enactment.
Sentiment
The available legislative history suggests generally favorable sentiment toward the bill at the subcommittee level, where it received a 4-0 recommendation for passage. The absence of recorded committee debate or dissent in the provided materials suggests limited visible opposition at that stage, though the bill’s subject matter is inherently sensitive because it involves surveillance of children and classroom staff.
Contention
The main points of contention are likely to center on privacy, consent, and the scope of surveillance in special education classrooms. Supporters appear to frame the bill as a school safety and teacher-protection measure, especially because it allows footage review when a teacher believes an assault occurred. Potential concerns include whether continuous monitoring is appropriate in educational settings, how footage will be stored and accessed, whether majority-parent consent adequately protects all students, and whether funding through school safety grants will be sufficient or available. The bill’s reliance on local policy adoption and privacy-law compliance also leaves implementation details to school systems.
A bill for an act relating to the responsibilities of school districts and charter schools related to the discipline of students who cause violent or nonviolent disruptions.(See SF 2428.)