The Tennessee Senate unanimously passed a bill creating a disciplinary offense for a teacher or school employee who bullies a student.
On Monday, state senators passed Senate Bill (SB) 1774 by a vote of 32 to 0. State Senator Paul Rose (R-Tipton County) introduced this bill.
SB 1774 would allow teachers or school employees to face disciplinary actions if they are found to have “committed an act of harassment, intimidation, bullying, or cyberbullying.”
If teachers or school employees are found to have done any of these actions, then they will face suspension or job dismissal, the bill proposal states.
SB 1774 defines bullying as an “act” that “substantially interferes with a victim’s educational benefits, opportunities, or performance.”
The bill proposal notes that these acts of bullying apply to both on- and off-school grounds.
SB 1774 defines a school employee as “an employee of a private school, an LEA, a public charter school, or other public school.”
If SB 1774 passes the State Legislature and Governor Bill Lee signs it into law, it will take effect on July 1.
In the State House, SB 1774’s companion bill, House Bill (HB) 1733, will be heard on Wednesday in the House Judiciary Committee. State Representative Debra Moody is the sponsor of HB 1733.
According to a 2024 report from the Tennessee Department of Education, the state had 12,197 bullying cases during the 2023-2024 school year.
Of the reported bullying cases, 45% were confirmed as bullying after investigation.
The 2024 numbers show Tennessee experienced a 9 percent decrease in the number of bullying cases reported compared to the previous school year.
The 2022-2023 school year saw 13,377 reported bullying incidents. Only 44% of these incidents were confirmed to be cases of bullying.
Last year, Lee signed a bill into law that takes away a teenager’s driving privileges for up to a year if they are found guilty of bullying.
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Zachery Schmidt is the digital editor of The Star News Network. Email tips to Zachery at zschmidt1717@gmail.com.
