This bill requires a private school that enrolls a student who is the recipient of an Education Freedom Act of 2025 scholarship to: (1) Conduct a fingerprint based or social security number based criminal history records check (including a check of the state and national sex offender registries and the department of health's abuse registry): (A) Prior to employment for any person applying for or holding a position as a teacher or any other position requiring proximity to school children; and (B) Prior to permitting any person or an employee of the person, corporation, or any other entity under contract with the private school and who will have direct contact with school children or access to the grounds of the school when children are present; and (2) Search the state's educator licensure database to determine if an applicant for a teaching position or any other position requiring proximity to school children has ever had an educator license suspended or revoked for misconduct in this state. Present law generally requires a school that participates in the Tennessee Education Savings Account Pilot Program or Individualized Education Act to conduct criminal background checks on employees. This bill instead requires a school that participates in the Tennessee Education Savings Account Pilot Program or Individualized Education Act to conduct checks as described above for schools that enroll education freedom scholarship recipients.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 49-6-2607(e), 49-6-2607, 49-10-1404(b), 49-10-1404