AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 10, Chapter 7; Title 33 and Title 49, relative to mental health resource awareness.
SB2301, titled the "School Mental Health Transparency Act," requires the Tennessee Department of Education to compile, maintain, and publish on its website a statewide list of mental health resources available to students. The list must, where applicable, identify the geographic location of each resource and any residence-based limitations on access. In preparing the list, the department must consult with several state agencies and other relevant entities, including the departments of children’s services, health, mental health and substance abuse services, human services, TennCare, and the governor’s children’s cabinet.
The bill also requires each public school to review the state list and maintain its own school-specific list of mental health resources available to its students. Beginning with the 2026-2027 school year, schools must provide that list at least annually to parents or guardians of enrolled students, or directly to students age 18 or older, and must also post the list on the school’s website. The bill states that inclusion on any list does not constitute endorsement by the state, the Department of Education, or a public school, and it expressly says the act does not require new staffing, programs, or expenditures.
The bill would add a new section to Tennessee Code Annotated Title 49, Chapter 6, Part 3, creating a statewide and school-level disclosure framework for student mental health resources. It affects the Department of Education and all public schools by imposing duties to gather, update, publish, and distribute resource information, while also requiring coordination with multiple state agencies. The act is framed as an informational and transparency measure and is written to avoid mandating new staffing or spending.
Based on the bill text alone, the measure appears generally supportive of student mental health access and transparency, with an emphasis on providing families and schools with clearer information rather than creating new services. No committee transcripts or votes were provided, so there is no recorded legislative debate or voting pattern to indicate broader support or opposition. The structure of the bill suggests a low-conflict, administrative approach to mental health awareness.
The main potential points of contention are practical rather than ideological: whether schools and the Department of Education can maintain accurate, current lists without additional resources, and how to define which resources are included or excluded, especially where access is limited by geography or residence. Another possible issue is the burden on schools to create and distribute school-specific lists and keep websites updated. The bill attempts to address endorsement concerns by stating that listing a resource is not an official endorsement and by disclaiming any new staffing or expenditure requirements.