Senate Bill 2346 amends various sections of the Tennessee Code Annotated to enhance background investigation requirements for individuals employed or seeking employment in educational settings and child care agencies. The bill stipulates that the Department of Education, local boards of education, and private schools must not hire or retain individuals found by the Department of Children's Services to have committed child abuse, severe child abuse, child sexual abuse, or child neglect. It introduces a due process framework for individuals currently employed or conditionally offered employment, ensuring that findings of abuse are disclosed only after due process rights have been offered or concluded. Additionally, the bill mandates emergency file reviews to assess immediate threats to children's safety when investigations are pending.

Furthermore, the bill requires compliance with the new background investigation standards across various educational and child care entities, including private schools and child care agencies exempt from licensing. It allows the Department of Human Services to conduct reviews of employees or potential employees of exempt child care agencies to check for records of abuse or neglect. The act will take effect upon becoming law for rule promulgation purposes, while other provisions will be effective from July 1, 2026.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 49-5-413, 49-6-2607(e), 49-6-2607, 49-10-1404(b), 49-10-1404, 71-3-503