Senate Bill 466 amends Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 49, Chapter 6, by introducing a new section that addresses the use of pronouns by teachers and employees in public schools and local education agencies (LEAs). The bill asserts that educators retain their constitutional rights to freedom of speech and expression while at work, emphasizing that the use of pronouns in an educational context is a matter of free speech. It stipulates that teachers and employees are not required to use a student's preferred pronoun if it does not align with the student's biological sex, and they cannot face civil liability or adverse employment actions for using pronouns consistent with biological sex instead of the student's preferred pronoun.

Additionally, the bill provides that public schools and LEAs are not civilly liable for referring to a student using a pronoun that corresponds with the student's biological sex, even if it differs from the student's preferred pronoun. This legislation aims to protect educators from being compelled to affirm beliefs they do not hold and reinforces the notion that their speech rights are preserved within the educational environment. The act is set to take effect upon becoming law.