<BillNo> <Sponsor>
HOUSE BILL 225
By Haston
HB0225
001797
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AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 49,
relative to community schools.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 49, Chapter 6, Part 24, is amended by
deleting the part and substituting:
49-6-2401. Short title.
This part is known and may be cited as the "Tennessee Full Service Community
Schools Act."
49-6-2402. Part definitions.
As used in this part:
(1) "Community partner" means a local organization, business, or agency
that collaborates with an LEA to provide a range of services and supports to
students and students' families for the purpose improving conditions in a school
and in the community at large;
(2) "Full service community school" means a school for which at least
one (1) local board of education partners with at least one (1) community partner
to develop and implement an operational model that includes a plan for
coordinating and integrating educational, developmental, family, health, and
other comprehensive services through a community partner and for providing
access to such services through the school to students, families, and the
community; and
(3) "Pipeline services" means a continuum of coordinated academic,
health, and social supports, services, and opportunities designed for children
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from birth through their entry into postsecondary institutions to support successful
education and career attainment, including, but not limited to:
(A) High-quality early education programs;
(B) High-quality school and out-of-school-time programs and
strategies;
(C) Expanded learning opportunities;
(D) Support for a child's grade-level transition into elementary
school, from elementary school to middle school, from middle school to
high school, from high school to a postsecondary institution, and from a
postsecondary institution into the workforce;
(E) Family and community engagement and supportive
interventions, which may include programs designed to engage and
support the needs of families at school or at home; and
(F) Social, health, nutrition, and mental health services and
supports.
49-6-2403. Authority to establish full service community schools.
(a) Each local board of education is authorized and encouraged to form a full
service community school that integrates pipeline services and systems of support into
each of the schools operated by the board to improve student learning and to foster
stronger families and healthier communities.
(b) A full service community school formed pursuant to this part shall strive to
become a center for the community served by the LEA by providing opportunities,
programs, and services for school stakeholders, which includes students, families,
educators, community members, and community partners, both during and outside of
the school day.
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49-6-2404. Eligibility of the Tennessee full service community schools grant.
(a) There is created a full service community schools grant program to be
administered by the University of Tennessee to promote the establishment and
sustainability of full service community schools throughout this state. Subject to the
availability of funds and beginning January 1, 2026, full service community schools
grants must be made available to local boards of education to facilitate the development
of long-term community partnerships and to secure the necessary resources for
planning, staffing, and for the provision of essential services to students and families in
the community in accordance with the full service community school's operational model.
(b) A grant application received by the University of Tennessee for purposes of
this section must be evaluated and approved on the basis of the requirements of this
part and any requirements developed and adopted by the University of Tennessee;
provided, that such requirements are consistent with this part.
(c) A local board of education that applies to the University of Tennessee to
receive a full service community school grant must outline the full service community
school's partnership commitments to demonstrate the alignment, longevity, and
accountability of each partnership necessary to sustain the full service community
school's operational model effectively, as evidenced by a memorandum of
understanding executed by the local board of education and each community partner for
the full service community school.
(d) If the number of applicants exceed the number of full service community
school grants available in a fiscal year, then the University of Tennessee shall award
grants in the following order:
(1) An LEA that demonstrates the technical and financial capacity to
sustain the full service community school's operational model beyond the initial
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grant period, the LEA's readiness to implement the full service community
school's operational model, and the strength of the qualifications of the
community partnerships formed by the LEA's board of education, in the order in
which the University of Tennessee receives the completed grant applications;
and
(2) An LEA that is expanding its full service community school through
feeder-patterns with other schools in the LEA.
(e) In order for a local board of education to receive a second or subsequent full
service community school grant, the board must secure matching funds through
established community partnerships.
49-6-2405. Duties of full service community school grant recipients - reporting.
(a) A local board of education that receives a grant pursuant to ยง 49-6-2404
shall:
(1) Designate a full-time employee whose position is dedicated to
coordinating and implementing grant requirements;
(2) Maintain and provide documentation of the collaborative practices
between school stakeholders, which includes students, families, educators,
community members, and community partners, as evidenced by the board's
creation of a decision-making body composed of various stakeholders;
(3) Conduct a comprehensive needs and assets assessment of the LEA
and the community it serves, in collaboration with relevant school stakeholders,
which includes students, families, educators, community members, and
community partners;
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(4) Based on the results of the comprehensive needs and assets
assessment conducted pursuant to subdivision (a)(3), develop an action plan to
establish a full service community school;
(5) Develop a logic model that outlines the full service community
school's inputs, outputs, activities, and intended outcomes, to establish a clear
framework for the full service community school's implementation and evaluation;
and
(6) Collect data on implementation of the full service community school
and report the data to the University of Tennessee, at intervals established by the
University of Tennessee, for the purpose of measuring the effectiveness of the
full service community school.
(b) The University of Tennessee shall provide continuous evaluation and support
to grant recipients, which includes technical assistance in data collection, analysis, and
assessment of outcomes relative to the goals of the full service community school.
(c) Grant recipients shall participate in periodic monitoring, conducted by the
University of Tennessee, of the full service community school's logic model. The
University of Tennessee shall evaluate the full service community school's progress
toward short-term and long-term goals of the full service community school, examining
how program inputs and activities align with the school's intended outputs and
outcomes. The University of Tennessee may recommend changes to the full service
community school to improve a full service community school's fidelity and effectiveness.
49-6-2406. Identification of opportunities to support formation and effective
administration of full service community schools.
(a) The University of Tennessee may collaborate with at least one (1) statewide
coalition composed of practitioners, administrators, advocates, and other stakeholders to
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identify opportunities to support the formation and effective administration of full service
community schools by focusing on and sharing best practices regarding:
(1) Professional learning opportunities;
(2) Shared governance structures;
(3) Policy and advocacy for sustainable resources;
(4) Strategic partnerships;
(5) Data systems; and
(6) Continuous improvement.
(b) The best practices established pursuant to subsection (a) must be published
on the University of Tennessee's website.
SECTION 2. The headings in this act are for reference purposes only and do not
constitute a part of the law enacted by the act. However, the Tennessee Code Commission is
requested to include the headings in any compilation or publication containing this act.
SECTION 3. This act takes effect upon becoming a law, the public welfare requiring it.