Tennessee Senate Bill SB0298

Tennessee 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 1/27/25
• Engrossed: 4/15/25
• Enrolled: 4/17/25
• Passed: 5/2/25
• Chaptered: 5/13/25

Caption

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 49, Chapter 6, relative to the nonsectarian, nonreligious study of the Bible.

Summary

SB 298 revises Tennessee’s law governing elective Bible courses in public schools. The bill changes the statutory wording from “curriculum” to “course” and updates Tennessee Code Annotated § 49-6-1026 to clarify how an academic study of the Bible may be offered by local education agencies (LEAs) and public charter schools. It requires that any Bible course using curriculum and instructional materials developed by an LEA or public charter school be approved by the local board of education or charter school governing body and comply with existing nonsectarian, nonreligious standards, while preserving an exception for courses already approved by the department before July 1, 2025. The bill also adds new transparency and reporting requirements. The Tennessee Department of Education must publish on its website a list of LEAs and public charter schools offering approved Bible courses and the academic standards approved by the state board. In addition, each LEA and public charter school must post on its website the curricula and instructional materials for any approved Bible course it develops. The state board must include the elective Bible course in its list of approved high school courses, and the department must notify LEAs and charter schools annually of their ability to offer a state-funded elective Bible course and to develop their own curriculum. The bill’s impact is to expand and formalize the framework for Bible courses in Tennessee public education, including public charter schools, while keeping the courses limited to nonsectarian, nonreligious academic study. It amends Title 49, Chapter 6 of the Tennessee Code and applies beginning with the 2025-2026 school year. By expressly adding public charter schools wherever LEAs are referenced in the relevant subsections, it extends the same course-approval and disclosure rules to charter schools as to traditional school districts. The general sentiment around the bill appears strongly favorable in the legislature, as reflected by unanimous committee support in the Senate Education Committee and large bipartisan floor majorities in both chambers. The bill passed the Senate and House and was signed into law by the governor. The available record does not show detailed committee debate, but the voting pattern suggests broad support for clarifying and expanding the existing Bible-course statute. The main point of potential contention is the role of Bible study in public education and whether such courses remain sufficiently nonsectarian and nonreligious to comply with state law. The bill addresses that concern by reaffirming the academic-study framework and requiring board approval and public posting of materials, but critics of Bible courses in public schools could still object to state-funded instruction involving religious texts. Supporters, by contrast, appear to favor the bill’s emphasis on academic study, transparency, and local control.

Impact

This act amends Tennessee Code Annotated Title 49, Chapter 6, Section 49-6-1026 to refine the rules for elective Bible courses in public schools and public charter schools. It requires local approval for LEA- or charter-developed Bible course curricula, mandates online publication of approved courses and materials, directs the Department of Education and State Board of Education to maintain lists and standards, and extends the statute’s references to public charter schools. The law takes effect July 1, 2025, and applies to the 2025-2026 school year and later.

Sentiment

The bill appears to have enjoyed broad support and little visible opposition in the legislative process. It received a unanimous recommendation in the Senate Education Committee and passed the Senate and House by wide margins, indicating a generally favorable sentiment toward clarifying and expanding the Bible-course framework. The final enactment and gubernatorial approval reinforce that the measure was viewed as acceptable by leadership in both chambers and the executive branch.

Contention

The likely area of contention is the intersection of religious content and public education, especially whether a Bible course in a public school setting can remain truly nonsectarian and nonreligious. The bill responds to that issue by requiring academic standards, local approval, and public posting of curricula and instructional materials, which are safeguards intended to show the course is educational rather than devotional. Another possible point of debate is the inclusion of public charter schools and the requirement that the state notify schools annually about offering a state-funded Bible course, which could raise concerns among opponents of religiously related instruction in publicly funded schools.