Mitzpah Be the watchtower.
TennesseeSB0494directIntroduced

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 37; Title 49; Title 50 and Title 55, relative to the Family Right to Educational Emancipation (FREE) Act.

  1. Introduced
  2. Passed Senate
  3. Passed House
  4. To Governor
  5. Became Law

Overview

SB0494 creates a new category of independent homeschools in Tennessee that would be exempt from data collection, reporting, and assessment requirements, and would exempt homeschool students and parents from compulsory school attendance laws. It also prohibits conditioning driver's licenses on school attendance.

Why it matters: This bill directly affects homeschooling families by potentially removing state oversight and attendance requirements for a new class of homeschools, while also protecting school-age homeschoolers from having driver's licenses denied based on school enrollment status.

Topic: compulsory_attendance · classifier confidence 98%

What this changes

Amends existing law

Law today: Tennessee currently requires independent home schools to comply with data collection, reporting, and assessment requirements, and subjects home school students and parents to compulsory school attendance laws. The state also conditions driver license and learner's permit issuance on school-aged applicants' attendance records or enrollment status.

If passed: The bill would create a new category of 'FREE Act' independent home schools that are exempt from data collection, reporting, and assessment requirements that apply to other home schools. Students and parents in FREE Act schools would be exempted from compulsory school attendance requirements. Additionally, the Department of Safety would be prohibited from using a school-aged applicant's attendance record or enrollment status as a condition for issuing a driver license or learner's permit.

AI-generated from the bill text — verify against the official text.

Likely supporters & opponents

Likely support

  • homeschool advocacy organizations and parental-rights groups — The bill protects homeschooling freedom and parental choice by reducing government oversight, reporting burdens, and regulatory requirements on families who wish to educate at home without state tracking or assessment.
  • school-choice advocates — Removing restrictions on educational options and compulsory attendance expands families' freedom to choose their own educational path without state coercion.

Likely opposition

  • public education officials and state education agencies — Eliminating data collection and assessment requirements makes it difficult to monitor student progress, identify at-risk children, or ensure educational quality and accountability.
  • child-welfare and education-monitoring advocates — Exempting families from reporting and assessment requirements could make it harder to detect educational neglect or abuse and leaves vulnerable children without oversight protections.

AI-inferred typical positions based on the bill’s substance — general stakeholder categories, not confirmed endorsements.

Should I support this?

Likely helpful for Christian families

This bill directly expands homeschooling freedom by creating a new exemption from reporting, assessment, and compulsory attendance rules, reducing government regulatory burdens on families who choose this option. It also removes a barrier (attendance-based license denial) that could affect homeschool families' practical access to driver licensing.

An AI assessment from a Christian-family perspective — religious freedom, parental rights, and freedom in education — not legal or voting advice.

💬 Chat about this bill ↗Official bill text ↗View on LegiScan ↗

Official summary

As introduced, enacts the "Family Right to Educational Emancipation (FREE) Act," which creates a new category of independent home schools that are not subject to the data collection, reporting, or assessment requirements applicable to existing independent home school programs and that exempts such home school students and parents from compulsory school attendance requirements; prohibits the department of safety from conditioning the issuance of a driver license or learner's permit on a school-aged applicant's attendance record or enrollment status. - Amends TCA Title 37; Title 49; Title 50 and Title 55.

Sponsors

  • Janince Bowling (R)
  • Joseph Hensley (R)
  • Adam Lowe (R)
  • Mark Pody (R)

Status timeline

  1. 2025-04-11Sponsor(s) Added.S
  2. 2025-03-12Assigned to General Subcommittee of Senate Education CommitteeS
  3. 2025-03-05Placed on Senate Education Committee calendar for 3/12/2025S
  4. 2025-03-05Action deferred in Senate Education Committee to 3/12/2025S
  5. 2025-03-03Sponsor(s) Added.S
  6. 2025-02-27Placed on Senate Education Committee calendar for 3/5/2025S
  7. 2025-02-12Passed on Second Consideration, refer to Senate Education CommitteeS
  8. 2025-02-10Introduced, Passed on First ConsiderationS
  9. 2025-02-06Sponsor(s) Added.S
  10. 2025-01-29Filed for introductionS

H = House · S = Senate · A = Assembly