Bill > SB1912

This bill, effective July 1, 2027, requires all Local Education Agencies (LEAs), which are public school districts, and public charter schools in Tennessee to adopt and enforce comprehensive internet acceptable use policies. These policies must include internet safety protocols for students integrated into their education, guidelines for communicating internet safety to parents, rules to protect students using school-provided internet for direct electronic communication, and safeguards against the disclosure of student personal information. The policies must also prohibit access to content deemed harmful, pornographic, obscene, excessively violent or frightening, promoting self-harm, or harmful to minors, and apply these prohibitions to both students and school employees, with measures for violations. Additionally, providers of digital or online educational resources must verify their materials comply with these content restrictions and filter out prohibited content, and schools must have a process for filing complaints about such materials. For students in pre-kindergarten through fifth grade, schools may create email addresses but only for internal administrative purposes like security or grading, and students in these grades will not be allowed to send or receive emails. If a student under 18 violates the acceptable use policy, the school must immediately notify their parent or guardian. This bill does not affect contracts entered into before July 1, 2027.