Tennessee 2025-2026 Regular Session

Tennessee Senate Bill SB0934 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1
2	2	HOUSE BILL 800
3	3	By Grills
4	4
5	5	SENATE BILL 934
6	6	By Rose
7	7
8	8
9	9	SB0934
10	10	002543
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13	13	AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 49,
14	14	relative to discrimination in educational institutions.
15	15
16	16	WHEREAS, a historic rise in antisemitic violence, harassment, and discrimination has
17	17	occurred at K-12 schools, colleges, and universities across the United States, targeting Jewish
18	18	students; and
19	19	WHEREAS, on April 2024, the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation found that
20	20	the number of FBI investigations into antisemitic hate crimes tripled in the months after October
21	21	7, 2023; and
22	22	WHEREAS, according to a recent Gallup Poll, eighty-one percent of Americans now see
23	23	antisemitism as either a very or somewhat serious problem, up from fifty-seven percent two
24	24	decades ago; and
25	25	WHEREAS, acts of antisemitism on our campuses undermine the educational and social
26	26	fabric of our institutions; and
27	27	WHEREAS, promoting understanding, tolerance, and respect for all students and faculty
28	28	is imperative; now, therefore,
29	29	BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENN ESSEE:
30	30	SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 49, Chapter 50, is amended by adding
31	31	the following as a new part:
32	32	49-50-1801.
33	33	(a) Discrimination on the basis of race, ethnicity, national origin, sex, disability,
34	34	religion, or marital status against a student or an employee in a public institution of
35	35	education is prohibited. A person in this state must not, on the basis of race, ethnicity,
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40	40	national origin, gender, disability, religion, or marital status be excluded from
41	41	participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any
42	42	public education program or activity, or in any employment conditions or practices,
43	43	conducted by a public institution of education that receives or benefits from federal or
44	44	state financial assistance. As used in this part, "public institution of education" means
45	45	local education agencies, public charter schools, and public institutions of higher
46	46	education.
47	47	(b) The criteria for admission to a program or course must not have the effect of
48	48	restricting access by persons of a particular race, ethnicity, national origin, disability,
49	49	religion, or marital status.
50	50	(c) All public education classes must be available to students without regard to
51	51	the student's race, ethnicity, national origin, sex, disability, religion, or marital status.
52	52	This subsection (c) is not intended to eliminate the provision of programs designed to
53	53	meet the needs of students with limited proficiency in English, gifted students, or
54	54	students with disabilities or programs tailored to students with specialized talents or
55	55	skills.
56	56	(d) Guidance services, counseling services, and financial assistance services in
57	57	the state public education system are available to all students equally and provided in
58	58	the same manner, regardless of race, ethnicity, national origin, sex, disability, religion, or
59	59	marital status.
60	60	(e) All education programs, activities, and opportunities offered by public
61	61	institutions of education must be made available without discrimination on the basis of
62	62	race, ethnicity, national origin, sex, disability, religion, or marital status.
63	63	49-50-1802.
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68	68	(a) A public institution of education must treat harassment or discrimination
69	69	against students or employees, or resulting from institutional policies or programs on
70	70	their campuses, motivated by or including antisemitic intent in an identical manner to
71	71	discrimination motivated by race.
72	72	(b) As used in this section, "antisemitism" has the same meaning as defined by
73	73	the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance's (IHRA) Working Definition of
74	74	Antisemitism, including its contemporary examples, as it was adopted on May 26, 2016.
75	75	(c) All public institutions of education shall integrate the definition of antisemitism
76	76	into their student, faculty, and employee codes of conduct. Additionally, prohibited
77	77	conduct as it relates specifically to antisemitism must be incorporated and include
78	78	harassment and discrimination against Jews in compliance with Title VI of the Civil
79	79	Rights Act of 1964 (42 U.S.C. § 2000d et seq.) antidiscrimination regulations provided by
80	80	the United States department of education and United States department of justice.
81	81	(d) All public institutions of education are encouraged to incorporate
82	82	antisemitism awareness training for all students, faculty, administrators, and campus
83	83	police, as well as to integrate Jewish American Heritage curricula for students that
84	84	incorporates Jewish experiences in America pre- and post-revolution, pre- and post-
85	85	WWII and the Holocaust, and in modern times.
86	86	49-50-1803.
87	87	(a) The department of education shall designate a "Title VI coordinator"
88	88	dedicated to monitoring antisemitic discrimination and harassment at public kindergarten
89	89	through grade twelve (K-12) schools. Each governing board of a public institution of
90	90	higher education shall designate a "Title VI coordinator" dedicated to monitoring
91	91	antisemitic discrimination and harassment at the public institution of higher education.
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96	96	All public institutions of education shall formally report incidents and complaints of
97	97	antisemitic discrimination and harassment to their respective Title VI coordinator.
98	98	(b) The Title VI coordinator shall thoroughly investigate all complaints. If, after
99	99	reasonable investigation, the Title VI coordinator determines that the public institution of
100	100	education has engaged in, allowed, or not sufficiently prohibited antisemitic
101	101	discrimination, the respective agency shall give written notice to the institution to address
102	102	its concerns no later than thirty (30) days after the notice is received.
103	103	(c) If the Title VI coordinator determines the public institution of education has
104	104	not taken the necessary actions by the expiration of the thirty-day period, then the
105	105	respective agency shall report its findings to the United States department of education
106	106	and United States department of justice by making a complaint under Title VI of the Civil
107	107	Rights Act of 1964 (42 U.S.C. § 2000d et seq.).
108	108	(d) Each Title VI coordinator shall, no later than June 30 of each year, issue an
109	109	annual report on antisemitism to the general assembly.
110	110	49-50-1804.
111	111	(a) Criticism of Israel that is similar to criticism toward any other country is not
112	112	regarded as antisemitic.
113	113	(b) This act does not diminish or infringe upon any right protected under the First
114	114	Amendment to the United States Constitution or the Tennessee Constitution.
115	115	(c) This act must not conflict with federal or state discrimination laws.
116	116	SECTION 2. This act takes effect upon becoming a law, the public welfare requiring it.