| 1 | 1 | | |
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| 2 | 2 | | HOUSE BILL 485 |
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| 3 | 3 | | By Hardaway |
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| 4 | 4 | | |
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| 5 | 5 | | SENATE BILL 517 |
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| 6 | 6 | | By Akbari |
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| 7 | 7 | | |
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| 8 | 8 | | |
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| 9 | 9 | | SB0517 |
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| 10 | 10 | | 002076 |
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| 11 | 11 | | - 1 - |
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| 12 | 12 | | |
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| 13 | 13 | | AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 49, |
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| 14 | 14 | | relative to school attendance. |
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| 15 | 15 | | |
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| 16 | 16 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE: |
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| 17 | 17 | | SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 49-6-3004, is amended by adding |
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| 18 | 18 | | the following as a new subsection: |
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| 19 | 19 | | (j) |
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| 20 | 20 | | (1) An LEA or public charter school may provide up to four (4) days of the |
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| 21 | 21 | | required one hundred eighty (180) days of classroom instruction in subdivision |
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| 22 | 22 | | (a)(1) via hybrid learning in the event of dangerous or extreme weather |
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| 23 | 23 | | conditions, or an emergency, as determined by the director of schools or the |
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| 24 | 24 | | director of the public charter school in accordance with this subsection (j). |
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| 25 | 25 | | (2) An LEA or public charter school that provides hybrid learning |
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| 26 | 26 | | pursuant to this subsection (j), shall provide: |
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| 27 | 27 | | (A) Students enrolled in kindergarten access to at least four (4) |
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| 28 | 28 | | hours of instruction each day; and |
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| 29 | 29 | | (B) Students enrolled in grades one through twelve (1-12) access |
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| 30 | 30 | | to at least six and one-half (6 1/2) hours of instruction each day. |
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| 31 | 31 | | (3) In tracking daily student attendance and compliance with state school |
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| 32 | 32 | | attendance and truancy intervention laws, an LEA and public charter school shall |
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| 33 | 33 | | implement policies and procedures for the LEA or public charter school to |
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| 34 | 34 | | request and receive daily visual, verbal, or written confirmation of student |
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| 35 | 35 | | participation in instructional time; determine excused versus unexcused student |
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| 36 | 36 | | |
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| 37 | 37 | | |
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| 38 | 38 | | - 2 - 002076 |
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| 39 | 39 | | |
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| 40 | 40 | | absences; and implement interventions to address student absences during |
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| 41 | 41 | | remote instruction. |
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| 42 | 42 | | (4) Each LEA and public charter school that provides hybrid learning |
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| 43 | 43 | | pursuant to this subsection (j) shall comply with all state and federal laws, rules, |
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| 44 | 44 | | and policies. |
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| 45 | 45 | | (5) Each LEA and public charter school shall make services required by |
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| 46 | 46 | | a student's individualized education program (IEP) available to the student on |
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| 47 | 47 | | days that hybrid learning is provided pursuant to this subsection (j). |
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| 48 | 48 | | (6) If an LEA or public charter school uses the maximum amount of days |
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| 49 | 49 | | authorized for hybrid learning pursuant to subdivision (j)(1) in a school year, then |
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| 50 | 50 | | the LEA or public charter school may request the commissioner to authorize |
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| 51 | 51 | | additional days for hybrid learning in the event of a natural disaster or serious |
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| 52 | 52 | | outbreaks of illness affecting or endangering students or staff. |
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| 53 | 53 | | (7) As used in this subsection (j), "hybrid learning" means an instructional |
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| 54 | 54 | | day in which some students participate in-person classroom instruction and some |
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| 55 | 55 | | students participate in remote classroom instruction. |
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| 56 | 56 | | SECTION 2. This act takes effect July 1, 2025, the public welfare requiring it. |
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