Subcommittee advances early behavior reporting bill; members ask for clearer charter-school language

The Education Administration Subcommittee voted to advance House Bill 522 to the full education committee after a multi-part discussion over how the bill would apply to public charter schools and whether it would impose new administrative burdens or liability.

Sponsor Chairman Reedy summarized HB 522 as the "Early Behavior Intervention Reporting Act," saying the bill requires each LEA and public charter school to implement a computer-based system for teachers and staff to enter early warning signs exhibited by students and to ensure staff are trained to identify those signs. Dr. Amy Grosso, a counseling and school behavioral-health specialist who said she is "the expert in residence" for Raptor, offered technical testimony and described her background overseeing behavioral-health services and threat-assessment protocols in a large school district.

Members raised questions about how the bill would treat public charter schools. Chairman White and others warned the current draft could place an administrative burden on individual charter schools because it adds language that would require each charter to establish or adopt certain threat-assessment obligations; several members asked the sponsor to work with counsel to avoid duplicative or conflicting requirements given charter schools’ relationship to authorizers and LEAs. Katie Robertson of the Office of Legal Services told the committee that Tennessee Code Annotated section 49-6-2701 already requires LEAs to adopt policies establishing threat assessment teams; the bill would explicitly include public charter schools in those statutory requirements.

Committee members and legal staff discussed liability protections. Legal counsel referenced existing statutory immunity for threat-assessment teams and participants and noted that sections 2 and 3 of HB 522 would explicitly require public charter schools to establish a threat assessment team. Members indicated the fiscal note language needed clarification (the fiscal note said the bill "requires public charter schools to adopt a policy to establish a threat assessment team" but did not say the same as the statutory requirement language). Sponsor Reedy committed to work with legal counsel and the full committee chair to straighten the language before full-committee consideration.

The committee voted to move HB 522 to the full education committee; the clerk recorded six ayes.

Ending: Sponsor Reedy and legal staff will prepare amended language addressing charter-school responsibilities and any duplicative obligations for consideration at the full committee.