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

Description

Fiscal Summary OTHER FISCAL IMPACT Implementation of the proposed legislation is assumed to require local education agencies and public charter schools to revise kindergarten through grade five instruction and computer science programming, adjust technology use and lab schedules, and enforce new procedures. Mandatory expenditures are assumed to vary by district and may reflect both costs to replace instructional tools and savings from reduced device purchases and related maintenance and software expenses. Article II, Section 24 of the Tennessee Constitution provides that: no law of general application shall impose increased expenditure requirements on cities or counties unless the General Assembly shall provide that the state share in the cost. Bill Summary This bill requires each LEA and public charter school that serves students in any of the grades K-5 to prohibit all of the following:  Students in those grades from accessing digital devices at school. Teachers and other employees of the LEA or public charter school from using a digital device to provide instruction to students in those grades. Teachers and other employees of the LEA or public charter school from administering an assessment to students in those grades in an electronic format. However, this bill does not apply to public virtual schools or the administration of a universal screener adopted by the state board of education, the Tennessee universal screener, a dyslexia screening, a state-adopted benchmark assessment, or any other assessment required by the state. Further, this bill does not supersede an LEA's or public charter school's obligation to comply with the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, the federal Rehabilitation Act, or the federal Americans with Disabilities Act. ON MARCH 16, 2026, THE SENATE ADOPTED AMENDMENT

Subjects

Progress

1. IntroducedFeb 3, 2026
2. Sent to committeeFeb 5, 2026