AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 49, relative to education.
Summary
SB1163 requires each local education agency (LEA) and public charter school in Tennessee to provide at least two hours each school year of evidence-based training on positive behavioral interventions and supports, conflict prevention, functional behavior assessments, de-escalation, and conflict management. The training must be incorporated into the school’s behavior intervention training program and may count toward two hours of the annual in-service training already required for educators.
The bill also amends Tennessee Code Annotated § 49-10-1304 by deleting subdivision (3) of subsection (j), while leaving the rest of the section in place. The act is scheduled to take effect July 1, 2025, and would apply statewide to public school systems and public charter schools.
Impact
If enacted, the bill would add a new statewide training mandate for school districts and public charter schools, expanding required professional development for staff who handle student behavior and discipline. It would also allow the new training to satisfy part of existing in-service requirements, reducing duplication with current training obligations under § 49-6-3004. The bill directly affects LEAs, charter schools, and educators responsible for behavior intervention practices, and it modifies Tennessee’s education code by removing one existing subdivision from § 49-10-1304(j).
Sentiment
The available voting history suggests the bill was received favorably in committee, with the Senate Education Committee voting 8-0 to defer it to summer study rather than rejecting it. No committee transcript is available, so there is no recorded floor or committee debate to indicate strong opposition or support beyond the unanimous committee vote. Overall, the bill appears to have been treated as a technical or policy-focused education measure with broad procedural acceptance.
Contention
The main potential point of contention is the added training burden on LEAs and charter schools, including the time and administrative effort needed to implement annual evidence-based behavior training. Another possible issue is whether the mandated topics and the deletion of subdivision (3) alter existing behavior intervention requirements in ways that schools or educators may view as duplicative or unclear. However, no specific objections are documented in the provided materials, and the committee vote shows no recorded dissent.