Tennessee Senate Bill SB2189

Tennessee 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 2/2/26

Caption

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 49, relative to physical activity.

Summary

SB2189 amends Tennessee’s education code provisions governing how schools count student physical activity for purposes of state requirements. The bill expands the list of activities that may qualify as physical activity to include walking, jumping rope, volleyball, other fitness-promoting activities, structured movement breaks, and time in physical education class when students are actually active. It also clarifies that simply walking to and from class does not count as physical activity under this section. The bill further revises the definition of physical activity time so that it does not include periods when students are allowed to use electronic devices. In addition, it expressly authorizes a teacher to prevent a student from participating in physical activity as a behavioral intervention. The act takes effect July 1, 2026, and applies beginning with the 2026-2027 school year.

Impact

This bill would amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 49, Section 49-6-1021, changing how schools and teachers calculate and administer student physical activity requirements. It affects school districts, teachers, and students by broadening qualifying activities, excluding device-use periods from counted activity time, and giving teachers explicit authority to withhold physical activity participation for behavior management. The practical impact is to provide more flexibility in meeting physical activity standards while tightening what counts toward those standards.

Sentiment

No committee transcripts or recorded votes were provided, so there is no direct evidence of debate or opposition in the available materials. Based on the text alone, the bill appears administrative and school-policy oriented rather than controversial, with a general focus on clarifying and updating physical activity rules for classrooms and physical education settings.

Contention

The main potential points of contention are the teacher’s authority to exclude a student from physical activity for behavior reasons and the decision to exclude time when students may use electronic devices from counting as physical activity. Some stakeholders may view these changes as useful classroom-management tools and clearer standards, while others could see them as reducing student activity opportunities or creating inconsistent application across schools. The exclusion of walking to and from class may also be notable for those who favor broader counting of everyday movement toward activity requirements.