Board hears legislative update: dozens of education bills became law this year, presenter says

Nancy Cason told the Bradley County Board of Education on Sept. 9 that the 114th General Assembly filed roughly 1,500 bills this year and about 250 were related to education and school boards; she said 93 of those bills became law and will affect K–12 policy.

"The voucher was the biggest discussion of any of the things that came before them," Cason said, describing the legislative session and noting that many of the policy changes the board must adopt stem from state requirements rather than local choice.

Cason listed areas affected by new laws that the district has been tracking, including rules on cell phones in classrooms, employment of retirees, charter school provisions, sale of surplus property, virtual education programs, attendance, and student wellness. Board members were told these state changes are the primary reason the district is proposing edits to multiple board policies and that the Tennessee School Boards Association sample language is being used in several cases.

Why it matters: the state laws referenced require local policy updates for compliance. Several policy items on the Sept. 9 agenda were explicitly tied to these legislative changes and were moved forward for board consideration.

Cason offered to review specific bills with board members individually and noted the volume of work schools and policy staff face when implementing state changes.

The board later adopted TSBA sample language for several policies during the meeting to align district policy with new state law.