TENNESSEE
Change in Notice Requirement Proposed
Senate Bill 1320, now pending in the General Assembly of Tennessee, would amend the home school law to allow parents to notify the local school district of their intent to home school after August 1 of each year, so long as a penalty of $20 is paid for each week that the notice is late. Under current law, parents who fail to provide notice of intent by the August 1 deadline are prohibited from commencing home instruction until the following school year. This requirement does not apply to parents whose home school is associated with a church-related school.
Compulsory Attendance Age Changes Proposed
Six bills are pending in the Tennessee General Assembly which would change current compulsory attendance age law. House Bill 9, introduced by Representative Walley, and Senate Bill 663, introduced by Senator Holcomb, would lower the compulsory attendance age from 17 years old to 15 years old. A bill with a similar purpose is Senate Bill 1152, introduced by Senator Womack, which would lower the compulsory attendance age from 17 years old to 16 years old. Any legislation such as this, which has the effect of freeing home-schooling families from control and restrictions imposed by the home school law, should be looked upon with favor by home educators.
Another bill under consideration by the Tennessee General Assembly is House Bill 528, introduced by Senator Hassell. This bill would lower the compulsory attendance age from seven years to six years and would also lower the maximum age at which a child must attend from 17 years to 16 years. Given the good and mad mixture of the provisions of this bill, it is unlikely to receive support from home-schooling parents.
Two bills now pending in the Tennessee General Assembly, Senate Bill 163 and House Bill 335, would lower the compulsory attendance age from seven years old to five years old. Many education experts have concluded that beginning a child's formal education too early in order to obtain an academic advantage for the child actually results in burn out in scholastic performance in later school years. Besides the potentially adverse academic effects, legislation lowering the compulsory attendance age from seven to five years old further erodes the authority of parents, who are in the best position to determine when their child's education should begin.
