Tennessee Senate Bill SB1774

Tennessee 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 1/20/26
• Engrossed: 3/16/26
• Enrolled: 4/30/26
• Passed: 5/22/26
• Chaptered: 5/27/26

Caption

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 37; Title 39, Chapter 17, Part 3; Title 40; Title 49 and Title 55, Chapter 10, Part 7, relative to harassment.

Summary

SB1774 revises Tennessee’s school bullying and harassment laws to expressly include acts committed by school employees, not just students. The bill redefines “bullying” in Tennessee Code Annotated § 39-17-308 to cover conduct by a school employee or student that substantially interferes with a victim’s educational benefits, opportunities, or performance, and it distinguishes between conduct occurring on school grounds or at school-related activities and conduct occurring off campus that still substantially disrupts the educational environment. It also adds definitions for “school employee” and “victim” for purposes of the statute. The bill further amends education law to require school district bullying policies to address school employees as well as students, and it creates explicit employment consequences for teachers or other school employees found to have committed harassment, intimidation, bullying, or cyberbullying. Under the measure, such conduct can subject a teacher or school employee to dismissal or suspension, and it adds this conduct to the list of grounds relevant to teacher discipline and licensure-related provisions. The act takes effect July 1, 2026, and applies only to acts committed on or after that date.

Impact

SB1774 changes multiple Tennessee Code titles, primarily affecting criminal definitions related to bullying and education/employment rules governing school personnel. It expands the legal framework so that school employees can be treated as potential perpetrators of bullying or harassment, not only students, and it ties that conduct to disciplinary action, including dismissal or suspension. School districts will need to update anti-bullying policies and procedures, and teachers/school employees may face greater professional consequences for conduct that violates those policies.

Sentiment

The bill appears to have been broadly supported and moved through the legislative process with strong or unanimous votes at each recorded stage. The Senate Judiciary Committee recommended passage unanimously, and subsequent floor votes were overwhelmingly favorable, including unanimous concurrence on the House amendment. The voting pattern suggests general agreement with the bill’s goal of strengthening protections for students and clarifying accountability for school employees.

Contention

The only notable point of contention in the recorded votes was an amendment offered by Johnson, which failed 28-63 on the House floor. While the available record does not include debate transcripts explaining the amendment, the failed vote indicates some disagreement over the scope or details of the bill as amended. Otherwise, the measure faced little visible opposition, and the final concurrence vote was unanimous.