Senate Education Committee advances physical‑fitness, civics and curriculum bills

The Senate Education Committee advanced several bills that would change school practice and academic standards.

SB1979, sponsored by Senator Watson, would require each local education agency and public charter school in Tennessee to administer the presidential physical fitness test to students to assess cardiovascular strength, endurance and flexibility. Watson told the committee the measure seeks to "reinstate those" competitive components of the historic presidential fitness program and asked for a favorable recommendation; the committee moved the bill to the calendar.

Senator Taylor presented SB1709, the Tennessee Civics Education Act, which would require new teachers licensed after July 1, 2027, to pass a 100‑question civics test composed from the U.S. naturalization civics test; the sponsor said candidates must score at least 70 out of 100 to earn licensure. Committee members questioned testing logistics, vendor contracting and whether the requirement is germane to all teaching assignments; the bill passed out of committee to the finance committee (vote reported as 8 ayes, 1 no).

Separately, Senator Boling explained SB1890 (amendment adopted) directing the state board of education standards committee to recommend incorporating instruction on the history and consequences of communism into social studies standards, arguing that the measure teaches students why certain ideologies have historically produced oppression and censorship. The amendment was adopted and the bill moved to calendar.

Committee discussion centered on implementation details, whether testing or curricular requirements would affect non‑civics teachers and where testing would be administered; sponsors said vendors and the Department of Education would work out logistics.