House Bill 1823 amends various sections of the Tennessee Code Annotated to enhance the management of student attendance and truancy. Notably, it introduces the term "attendance" before "academic" in Section 49-6-3001(c)(1)(B)(i). The bill establishes new requirements for reporting student absences when a student withdraws from a Local Education Agency (LEA) without transferring to another. Specifically, if a student receiving tier two or tier three interventions withdraws, the director of schools must report the absences to the juvenile court judge in the student's county. Additionally, if a student in grades K-12 is adjudicated as unruly due to five or more unexcused absences, the judge may impose a fine or community service on the parent or guardian.

Further amendments include the requirement that any referral to juvenile court must be accompanied by a certification from the director of schools confirming that the progressive truancy interventions were applied and that the student has not enrolled in another LEA. The bill also clarifies that unexcused absences from a transferring school will count towards the total at the new school. Additionally, it removes the phrase "five (5) hours of" from Section 49-6-3009(g). The act is set to take effect on July 1, 2026.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 49-6-3001(c)(1)(B)(i), 49-6-3001, 49-6-3009, 49-6-3009(i), 49-6-3009(g), 49-6-3007