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Presenter says new state law bars staff relationships with former students for 12 months
Summary
Trainer noted a July 1 amendment to Tennessee rules on staff–student relationships: the presenter said the law treats relationships begun within 12 months of graduation/withdrawal as ethics violations and advised staff this remains prohibited.
Dale told attendees that the General Assembly amended the teacher code of ethics effective July 1 to close a perceived loophole: staff may not wait until a student graduates and immediately begin a relationship. “the student has to have graduated at least 12 months or withdrawn from the school 12 months prior to, or it's still a violation of code of ethics,” he said.
He said the change was intended to prevent staff from delaying a relationship until a student was technically no longer enrolled; he recommended that staff treat the new rule as strict and cautioned that district processes and possible criminal referrals can follow alleged violations. The presenter did not provide a statute citation during the session and encouraged employees to consult official district or state guidance for implementation details.
