Senate Bill 298 amends Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 49, Chapter 6, to establish guidelines for the nonsectarian, nonreligious study of the Bible in public education. The bill modifies existing language by replacing the term "curriculum" with "course" in Section 49-6-1026(b). It also revises Section 49-6-1026(c) to outline specific requirements for any Bible course offered by local education agencies (LEAs) or public charter schools, including the necessity for approval from local education boards and the availability of course materials on their websites. Additionally, the state board of education is tasked with including approved Bible courses in its list of high school electives.

Furthermore, the bill mandates that the Department of Education provide annual notifications to LEAs and public charter schools regarding their eligibility to offer state-funded Bible courses. It also ensures that the term "public charter school" is included wherever "LEA" appears in subsections (d) and (e) of Section 49-6-1026. The act is set to take effect upon becoming law and will apply to the 2025-2026 school year and subsequent years.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 49-6-1026(b), 49-6-1026, 49-6-1026(c)