AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 39 and Title 49, relative to unmanned aircraft over schools.
Summary
SB2434 amends Tennessee law to create a new offense for knowingly using an unmanned aircraft, or drone, over the grounds of a public K-12 school with the intent to conduct surveillance of the school grounds without permission from a school administrator, the director of schools, or a designee. The bill includes exceptions for law enforcement acting within the scope of their duties and for commercial drone operators who are authorized by the Federal Aviation Administration to operate in that airspace.
The bill also makes related conforming changes to Tennessee’s drone statutes. It updates cross-references in the existing unmanned aircraft provisions and revises the definition of prohibited conduct involving public real property to carve out the new school-surveillance restriction. The act takes effect July 1, 2026.
Impact
The bill expands Tennessee’s criminal code in Title 39 by adding a specific prohibition on drone surveillance over public school property and by adjusting related unmanned aircraft provisions to keep the statutory scheme consistent. It creates a new misdemeanor offense for unauthorized school surveillance by drone, while preserving existing penalties for other drone-related offenses and maintaining exceptions for law enforcement and FAA-authorized commercial operations. The measure primarily affects drone operators, school administrators, law enforcement, and commercial aviation users operating near school property.
Sentiment
The bill appears to have broad support and little visible opposition in the available record. It advanced unanimously in the Senate Judiciary Committee and passed subsequent floor and concurrence votes with strong margins, including a 72-14 vote on third consideration. The voting pattern suggests general agreement with the goal of protecting schools from unauthorized drone surveillance.
Contention
The main policy issue is the balance between school security and lawful drone use. Support is implied for restricting surveillance of school grounds without permission, while the bill preserves exceptions for law enforcement and FAA-authorized commercial operators, indicating concern about not overbroadly restricting legitimate drone activity. The recorded votes show limited contention overall, though the 72-14 floor vote indicates some legislators may have objected to the scope or enforcement of the new restriction.
AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 16; Title 36; Title 37; Title 38; Title 39; Title 40; Title 49; Title 55 and Title 65, relative to weapons.