Present law generally authorizes a principal, principal-teacher, or assistant principal of a public school in Tennessee to suspend a pupil from attendance at the school, including its sponsored activities, or from riding a school bus, for good and sufficient reasons. This bill prohibits LEAs from suspending or expelling a student from school if the student is enrolled in any of the grades pre-kindergarten through two unless the student's behavior endangers the physical safety of other students or school personnel, as determined by the LEA's director of schools.
Under this bill, if the behavior of a student enrolled in the LEA in any of the grades pre-kindergarten through two endangers the physical safety of other students or school personnel, as determined by the LEA's director of schools, then the student may be suspended for no more than three days. Before a student to whom this bill applies is suspended, the student must be provided an opportunity for the student's anger, fear, or anxiety to subside and for the student's teacher, principal, school counselor, or school psychologist to have a conversation with the student and the student's parent or legal guardian concerning the student's behavior and any underlying issues that may have precipitated the student's behavior. The principal of the student's school will be required to notify the student's parent or legal guardian of the student's suspension on the day the suspension occurs.
This bill applies to the 2023-2024 school year and each school year thereafter.