Board member outlines TSBA legislative priorities and urges clarity on vouchers, student search rules and school safety tech

Board member Mike Tate presented highlights from the Tennessee School Boards Association (TSBA) 2026 legislative agenda and asked the board for feedback and clarification on several items the association is urging the General Assembly to consider.

Tate summarized a list of priorities sent by TSBA, including preserving local control of schools, criminalizing drones that capture images of school property, clarifying which school officials may conduct student searches, and refining when LEAs must notify parents about credible threats. He said TSBA "urges the General Assembly to clarify language in PC 22 44 to clearly define which school officials may conduct searches" and urged clearer guidance on threat notification criteria.

Tate also said the TSBA agenda references the "Choice Act" (education vouchers) and that he sought clarification from Nashville because the association's language was not explicit. "There's a push in the legislature to increase the number of vouchers in the state of Tennessee from 20,000 up to 40,000 in the next year," he said, adding that "all indications are that will pass," while noting he had not stated a board position.

On school safety, Tate described a proposed state‑supplied security system that would give teachers personal "silent alarms" to alert staff, resource officers and local law enforcement and that could relay GPS location and camera access; he cited a vendor demonstration and used the name Centegix as an example. "When they push the button, it automatically alerts not only the resource officer, but the other teachers, the nearest patrol car, the nearest police station," Tate said, adding that the system could provide near‑real‑time camera access for responding officers.

Tate requested a special called meeting with state representatives Brock Martin, Ed Jackson and Kirk Hastings to discuss the upcoming legislative session; the board tentatively agreed to a morning meeting on the 23rd at the board office.

Tate also advocated full funding for preschool special education students in the funding formula and reported that Henderson County meets required maintenance‑of‑effort funding levels. He distributed TSBA position statements and urged board members to consider the issues ahead of the legislative session.