AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 37, Chapter 1, Part 1; Title 49, Chapter 1; Title 49, Chapter 2 and Title 49, Chapter 6, relative to attendance.
- Introduced
- Passed House
- Passed Senate
- To Governor
- Became Law
Overview
This bill requires schools to report students who were formally truant and then enroll in homeschool to juvenile court, and ensures that unexcused absences from public school follow a student if they transfer schools to determine habitual truancy status.
Why it matters: Homeschooling families could be affected if a child previously identified as truant in public school is referred to juvenile court upon enrollment in homeschool, potentially creating legal complications for families transitioning to home education.
Topic: compulsory_attendance · classifier confidence 78%
What this changes
Amends existing law
Law today: Tennessee law currently addresses student truancy and habitual truancy through public school attendance requirements and progressive truancy plans. Schools track unexcused absences to identify students at risk and may report cases of educational neglect to juvenile court.
If passed: The bill requires school directors to report to juvenile court any student who was formally truant in public school and then enrolls in homeschooling. It also ensures that unexcused absences a student accumulated in their previous public school carry over when they transfer schools, counting toward habitual truancy determinations at the new school.
AI-generated from the bill text — verify against the official text.
Likely supporters & opponents
Likely support
- Child-welfare and educational-neglect advocates — Tracking truancy across school transfers and reporting truant students who move to homeschooling helps identify cases of educational neglect and ensures at-risk students receive necessary intervention.
Likely opposition
- Homeschool advocacy organizations — Requiring automatic juvenile court reporting of students who move to homeschooling creates a barrier to homeschooling freedom and subjects families to government oversight based solely on prior public-school attendance patterns, rather than the homeschool's actual performance or compliance.
AI-inferred typical positions based on the bill’s substance — general stakeholder categories, not confirmed endorsements.
Should I support this?
Likely harmful for Christian families
The bill targets homeschooling families by mandating juvenile court reporting whenever a previously truant student enrolls in homeschool, treating the switch to homeschooling itself as suspect activity. This creates a significant compliance and legal burden that could discourage families from choosing homeschooling and subjects homeschooling parents to court involvement without evidence of current educational neglect.
An AI assessment from a Christian-family perspective — religious freedom, parental rights, and freedom in education — not legal or voting advice.
Official summary
As introduced, requires director of schools to report a student who was formally truant and now enrolled in a home school to juvenile court; establishes that unexcused absences accumulated by a transfer student at their former school or LEA during the school year in which they transfer follow the student to the receiving school or LEA to determine habitual truancy, to implement a progressive truancy plan, and to identify cases of educational neglect. - Amends TCA Title 37, Chapter 1, Part 1; Title 49, Chapter 1; Title 49, Chapter 2 and Title 49, Chapter 6.
Sponsors
- Kevin Raper (R)
Status timeline
- 2026-01-22Withdrawn.H
- 2026-01-22Assigned to s/c Education Administration SubcommitteeH
- 2026-01-22P2C, ref. to Education CommitteeH
- 2026-01-21Intro., P1C.H
- 2026-01-15Filed for introductionH
H = House · S = Senate · A = Assembly