§ 49-1-201 — Powers and duties of the commissioner

(a) The commissioner of education is responsible for the implementation of law or policies established by the general assembly or the state board of education. (b) The commissioner shall attend all meetings of the state board of education and may speak at the meetings and make recommendations. Any recommendations made by the commissioner shall be made a part of the minutes of the meeting. (c) The commissioner shall provide direction through administrative and supervisory activities designed to build and maintain an effective organization as follows: (1) Employ and supervise the personnel within the department; (2) Collect and publish, in accordance with the rules, regulations, policies and procedures of the state publications committee, statistics and other information relative to the public school system; (3) Make tours of inspection and survey among the public schools throughout the state and to direct supervision through the divisions of the department; (4) Require all teachers to attend county institutes or educational meetings on the date, at the hour and place designated by the county director of schools; provided, that schools shall not be suspended for more than ten (10) days in one (1) year; and provided further, that the place of the meeting shall be in the county where the school is located; (5) See that the school laws and the regulations of the state board of education are faithfully executed; (6) Prepare and distribute blank forms for all reports required by law or by the commissioner to be made by teachers, boards of education, directors of schools, county trustees and all other state, county and city officers; (7) Distribute in electronic format to the local boards of education, at the conclusion of each regular session of the general assembly, copies of newly enacted public chapters pertaining to public education; (8) Require all state and local public school officers and heads of state educational institutions under the department or the state board of education to submit detailed reports annually; and, in case of emergency, the commissioner may require special reports at any time of any officer connected with the public school system; (9) Appoint someone to make reports required to be made by the state or local public school officers and heads of state institutions named in this section when such officers fail to make full and accurate reports at the time designated, and to allow the appointee compensation not to exceed five dollars ($5.00) per day for the time actually employed in making the reports for the appointee's service, which shall be paid by the delinquent public school officer or the head of the state educational institution. Upon the refusal of the delinquent officer or head of the state educational institution to pay the compensation, the commissioner shall deduct that amount out of the state supplement to the delinquent officer's or head's salary or compensation and require the county trustee or other custodian of public school funds to withhold that amount out of any salary that may be due the delinquent officer; (10) Preserve in the commissioner's office all official documents and matters in relation to educational subjects that may come into it; (11) Report to the comptroller of the treasury, on July 1 of each year, the average daily attendance of the preceding year, as determined and taken from the daily attendance reports of the teachers and other officers of the various cities and counties, and on July 1 of odd years, biennially, the school census, as determined by the scholastic census enumeration; (12) Submit annually to the governor a detailed report of the commissioner's official acts for the year ending June 30 preceding, exhibiting a full statistical account of the receipts and disbursements of the public school funds, the condition and progress of the public schools and making recommendations for improvements of the public school system; (13) Prepare and furnish high school diplomas for graduates of senior, public high schools, approved by the state board of education; (14) (A) Whenever it appears to the commissioner from the report of any school official or from any other reliable source that any portion of the school fund has been lost, misappropriated or in any way illegally disposed of or not collected, or is in danger of loss, misappropriation, illegal disposition or failure of collection, the commissioner may call upon the district attorney general, the county mayor or the county attorney to protect, recover or force collection of the funds; provided, that the governor shall first give approval to such action. This subdivision (c)(14)(A), however, shall not prohibit suits by one political subdivision against another political subdivision in the same county, or against the county, when the consent of the commissioner and the governor has not been obtained. The commissioner, with the consent of the governor and with the approval of the attorney general and reporter, is authorized to employ private legal counsel in order to protect, recover or force collection of any school funds; and (B) The commissioner has authority to send a supervisor or supervisors, as provided for in this section, to any local school system to make investigation of public school accounts, records and files of any official handling the school funds or administering the public school system, and to enforce all school laws and regulations of the commissioner; provided, that the duty of the commissioner shall not be exercised until the local board of education has requested the investigation; (15) [Deleted by 2022 amendment.] (16) Prescribe regulations regarding the display of flags on public school buildings; (17) Require the heads of divisions under the commissioner's direction who handle state funds to give bonds sufficient to cover any liability to the state; (18) Inspect, approve, and classify private schools in accordance with the rules of the state board of education; (19) (A) Prepare and present to the state board of education for its approval, disapproval, or amendment rules that are necessary to implement the policies, standards, or guidelines of the state board or the education laws of the state; (B) In the absence of the state board, the commissioner shall have, if necessary, the emergency rulemaking authority provided for in the Uniform Administrative Procedures Act, compiled in title 4, chapter 5; and (C) The commissioner may prepare and promulgate, without board approval, rules that are solely necessary for the internal administrative operation and functions of the department and to implement the TISA in accordance with the Tennessee Investment in Student Achievement Act, compiled in chapter 3, part 1 of this title. With the exception of the rulemaking authority provided in the Tennessee Investment in Student Achievement Act, compiled in chapter 3, part 1 of this title, the department's authority to promulgate rules does not supersede the powers of the state board and may be used only in performance of the commissioner's administrative responsibilities; (20) Conduct, subject to approval of the state board of education, a program of public information concerning public schools, kindergarten through grade twelve (K-12); (21) Approve evaluation plans developed by LEAs; (22) Inspect and approve child care centers operated by church-related schools, as defined by § 49-50-801 , in accordance with the same health, fire and safety standards as are used in inspecting and approving child care centers operated in public schools; (23) Authorize and administer a contract between the department of education and Miss Tennessee regarding safe and drug-free schools, subject to availability of federal funds that may be used for this purpose; and (24) Require each LEA's director of schools to submit to the department of education an annual personnel report. (d) (1) Upon application by the LEA for one (1) or more of its schools, the commissioner of education may waive any state board rule or statute that inhibits or hinders the LEA's ability to meet its goals or comply with its mission. However, the commissioner may not waive regulatory or statutory requirements related to: (A) Federal and state civil rights; (B) Federal, state and local health and safety; (C) Federal and state public records; (D) Immunizations; (E) Possession of weapons on school grounds; (F) Background checks and fingerprinting of personnel; (G) Federal and state special education services; (H) Student due process; (I) Parental rights; (J) Federal and state student assessment and accountability; (K) Open meetings; (L) Educators' due process rights; (M) Reductions in teachers' salaries; (N) Employee rights, salaries and benefits; and (O) Licensure of employees. (2) No provisions of subdivision (d)(1) shall be construed to impact memoranda of understanding under the Professional Educators Collaborative Conferencing Act of 2011, compiled in chapter 5, part 6 of this title. (e) (1) The commissioner of education, in collaboration with the state-level school safety team established under § 49-6-802 , shall develop guidelines and training for all public school administrators and human resource personnel regarding the prevention of workplace violence. Such guidelines and training shall include outlines and related materials for use in the delivery of in-service training activities for teachers and other school personnel, and to further include materials and training or recognizing and responding to employee alcohol and substance abuse. (2) The commissioner is authorized to direct up to five percent (5%) of the funds appropriated for the Safe Schools Act of 1998, codified in § 49-6-4302(c) , to the Tennessee school safety center for the development and delivery of training materials and guidelines as specified under § 49-6-4302(a) .

Legislative History

Amended by 2022 Tenn. Acts, ch. 966, s 32, eff. 7/1/2023. Amended by 2022 Tenn. Acts, ch. 686, s 1, eff. 3/28/2022. Amended by 2021 Tenn. Acts, ch. 493, Secs.s 2, s 3, s 4 eff. 5/25/2021. Amended by 2019 Tenn. Acts, ch. 248, Secs.s 1, s 2, s 3 eff. 5/2/2019. Amended by 2018 Tenn. Acts, ch. 725, s 3, s 4, Sec.s 5, s 6 eff. 4/18/2018. Amended by 2014 Tenn. Acts, ch. 672, s 1, eff. 4/14/2014. Acts 1925, ch. 115, § 4; Shan. Supp., § 1487a23; Code 1932, § 2314; Acts 1933, ch. 129, § 1; C. Supp. 1950, § 2314; impl. am. Acts 1951, ch. 58; Acts 1957, ch. 91, §§ 1, 2; 1961, ch. 106, § 1; 1961, ch. 160, § 1; 1963, ch. 13, § 1; 1974, ch. 654, §§ 2-8; T.C.A. (orig. ed.), § 49-105; Acts 1984 (1st Ex. Sess.), ch. 6, § 8; 1984 (1st Ex. Sess.), ch. 7, § 92; 1984, ch. 928, § 1; 1987, ch. 308, § 9; 1989, ch. 132, § 2; 1990, ch. 948, § 22; 1990, ch. 1024, §§ 21, 23; 1992, ch. 535, §§ 56, 58; impl. am. Acts 1996, ch. 1079, § 158; 2002, ch. 727, § 1; 2003 , ch. 88, § 1; 2003 , ch. 90, § 2; 2006, ch. 725, § 1; 2006, ch. 727, § 1; 2008 , ch. 888, § 3; 2008 , ch. 1062, § 9; 2008 , ch. 1102, § 1; 2009 , ch. 566, § 12; 2010 , ch. 1106, § 1; 2011 , ch. 378, § 6.