CHAPTER NO. 871

SENATE BILL NO. 2324

By Dixon, Harper

Substituted for: House Bill No. 2082

By Pruitt, Langster, Brown

AN ACT To amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 49-6-3401; Section 49-6-4018 and Section 49-6-4216, relative to school policies and procedures.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:

SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 49-6-4216, is amended by adding the following as new subsections:

(d)(1) The State Board of Education shall develop a standard form for collection of statistical information relative to zero tolerance violations in local school systems. In developing the form, the State Board of Education shall consult the local school boards, the Tennessee School Board Association, the Office of Education Accountability and the Department of Education.

(2) The form shall include, but shall not be limited to: grade level, age, gender, race, offense, disposition of each zero tolerance violation and any modification in penalty.

(3) The form shall be completed annually by the superintendent of each school system or the superintendent's designee, and copies of the form shall be filed with the Department of Education and the State Board of Education by July 1 of each school year.

(4) The Office of Education Accountability shall analyze all such forms collected by the Department of Education and shall annually report the results specified in subdivision (2) to the Education Oversight Committee, the General Assembly, the Governor and the State Board of Education.

SECTION 2. The Department of Education shall track all students expelled from their home school and report on their progress and include such information in the report required to be filed under §49-6-4216(e)(4).

SECTION 3. The State Board of Education shall provide a curriculum for alternative schools to ensure students receive specialized attention needed to effectively reform students to prevent them from being repeat offenders.

SECTION 4. This act shall take effect upon becoming a law, the public welfare requiring it.

PASSED: April 13, 1998

APPROVED this day of 1998

Pursuant to Article III, Section 18, of the Constitution of the State of Tennessee, the Governor had Senate Bill No. 2324 in his possession longer than ten (10) days, so therefore the bill becomes law without the Governor's signature.