§ 49-3-359 — TISA funding for teacher's supplies and school nurses or school health services

Tennessee § 49-3-359

• Jurisdiction: Tennessee
• Title: 49

Text

(a) Each LEA and public charter school must pay two hundred dollars ($200) for each teacher in kindergarten through grade twelve (K-12) for the purpose described in this subsection (a). This money must be used by the teachers for instructional supplies and must be given to each teacher by October 31 of each school year so that the teacher may spend it at any time during that school year on instructional supplies as determined necessary by the teacher. The purpose of these funds is to permit purchase of items of equipment for the benefit and enhancement of the instructional program. The funds cannot be used for basic building needs such as HVAC, carpets, furniture, items or equipment for the teachers' lounge, or the like. Any funds not spent by the end of the school year must be pooled at the school level and used for the purchase of items of equipment for the benefit of all teachers. Pooled funds cannot be used for basic building needs such as HVAC, carpets, furniture, items or equipment for the teachers' lounge, or the like. (b) [Deleted by 2022 amendment.] (c) (1) An LEA may use TISA funds to directly employ a public school nurse or to contract with the Tennessee public school nurse program, created in § 68-1-1201 , for the provision of school health services. (2) If an LEA does not employ or contract for at least one (1) school nurse for every seven hundred fifty (750) student members of the LEA for the 2024-2025 school year, or for a subsequent school year, then the LEA's director of schools must submit a report to the department of education no later than June 1 of the respective school year that contains the following: (A) How many school nurses the LEA contracted for or employed for the respective school year, disaggregated by: (i) The number of school nurses contracted for by the LEA, disaggregated by the number: (a) Assigned to a student member of the LEA to provide the student with related services, as defined in § 49-10-102 ; and (b) That were not assigned to a student member of the LEA to provide the student with related services, as defined in § 49-10-102 , but that were instead assigned to provide services to all student members of the LEA; and (ii) The number of school nurses employed by the LEA, disaggregated by the number: (a) Assigned to a student member of the LEA to provide the student with related services, as defined in § 49-10-102 ; and (b) That were not assigned to a student member of the LEA to provide the student with related services, as defined in § 49-10-102 , but that were instead assigned to provide services to all student members of the LEA; (B) The type of certification or nursing license possessed by each school nurse contracted for or employed by the LEA for the respective school year; (C) How many schools are operated by the LEA; (D) The student membership of the LEA for: (i) The respective school year; and (ii) The immediately preceding school year; (E) The student-to-school-nurse ratio for the LEA based on the number of school nurses the LEA contracted for or employed for the respective school year; (F) The LEA's reason for not employing or contracting for at least one (1) school nurse for every seven hundred fifty (750) student members of the LEA; (G) Whether the LEA employed or contracted for the number of school nurses necessary for the LEA to place at least one (1) school nurse at each school operated by the LEA, excluding school nurses assigned to student members of the LEA to provide the students with related services, as defined in § 49-10-102 ; and (H) The number of student members in the LEA who have an emergency care plan or individualized healthcare plan, as those terms are defined in § 49-50-1601 ; who have an individual health plan for purposes of § 49-50-1602 ; or who have a medical condition for which the services of a school nurse or trained professional are required for the administration of medication. (3) Each public school nurse employed by or provided to an LEA pursuant to this subsection (c) shall meet or exceed the minimum qualifications and standards established pursuant to § 68-1-1204(a) , and shall perform the duties and responsibilities enumerated within § 68-1-1202 . (4) Each public school nurse employed by an LEA shall maintain current certification through a certifying cardiopulmonary resuscitation course consistent with the scientific guidelines of the American Heart Association in collaboration with the International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation. (d) The amounts provided in this section may be reduced pro rata by the commissioner during any year in which the BEP appropriation is insufficient to fully fund the program.

Legislative History

Amended by 2024 Tenn. Acts, ch. 910,s 1, eff. 5/3/2024. Amended by 2022 Tenn. Acts, ch. 966, Secs.s 26, s 27 eff. 7/1/2023. Amended by 2022 Tenn. Acts, ch. 966, s 25, eff. 7/1/2023. Amended by 2022 Tenn. Acts, ch. 686, s 6, eff. 3/28/2022. Amended by 2019 Tenn. Acts, ch. 345, s 91, eff. 5/10/2019. Amended by 2019 Tenn. Acts, ch. 248, s 32, eff. 5/2/2019. Amended by 2017 Tenn. Acts, ch. 389, s 1, eff. 7/1/2017. Amended by 2015 Tenn. Acts, ch. 182, s 32, eff. 4/17/2015. Amended by 2014 Tenn. Acts, ch. 704, s 2, eff. 7/1/2014. Amended by 2014 Tenn. Acts, ch. 704, s 1, eff. 7/1/2014. Acts 1992, ch. 535, § 3; 1996, ch. 894, § 1; 2004, ch. 886, § 1.