§ 49-4-932 — Lottery scholarship day to inform students and parents of financial assistance available from lottery proceeds

Tennessee § 49-4-932

• Jurisdiction: Tennessee
• Title: 49

Text

(a) TSAC may conduct a lottery scholarship day each school year. The purpose of the lottery scholarship day shall be to inform high school students and their parents of financial assistance available from net lottery proceeds for attendance at eligible postsecondary institutions. The Tennessee higher education commission, the University of Tennessee system and the state university and community college system shall provide assistance to TSAC in planning and conducting the event. TSAC may also seek assistance from community groups, churches and the eligible independent postsecondary institutions in the planning and conducting of an annual lottery scholarship day and in encouraging students and parents to attend. (b) TSAC shall enlist the assistance of the department of education, LEAs, and local schools in informing students on its lottery scholarship day of HOPE scholarship eligibility requirements. (c) At the conclusion of any lottery scholarship day conducted by TSAC, TSAC shall provide to the high school a list of the school's students who attended the day. (d) (1) TSAC, with the assistance of the department of education, shall develop and provide grade appropriate information concerning, but not limited to: (A) Eligibility requirements for the various lottery scholarships; (B) Admission standards for eligible postsecondary institutions, the differences between the standards and the eligibility requirements for scholarships, and the differences in admission standards among the eligible postsecondary institutions; (C) Computation of grade point averages for lottery scholarship eligibility, both high school grade point averages for initial eligibility, and college grade point averages for retention of scholarships; and (D) Testing dates for the ACT and SAT, the differences between these tests, and the use of the tests in admission decisions by eligible postsecondary institutions. (2) The information provided for in subdivision (d)(1) shall be provided to students on any lottery scholarship day conducted by TSAC and to the department of education for dissemination to schools conducting lottery scholarship days. (e) TSAC shall provide a summary of the information required to be developed under subsection (d) in a format suitable for inclusion in student handbooks to the department of education for dissemination to schools educating students in grades eight through twelve (8-12). The schools shall include the information in school handbooks together with community-specific information concerning tutoring and test-taking development in subjects covered by the ACT and SAT examinations, college preparatory and advanced placement courses provided by high schools in the LEA and the importance of early planning for college. TSAC shall annually update the summary of information to be included in student handbooks. (f) Each school year, before students in grades eight through eleven (8-11) schedule their courses for the following school year, each school educating the students shall conduct at least one (1) lottery scholarship day for students and their parents. On lottery scholarship day, the eligibility requirements for lottery scholarships shall be discussed with students and their parents and the information required to be developed under subsection (d) shall be given to students and their parents. Additionally, each school shall provide community-specific information to students and their parents regarding opportunities for tutoring and test-taking skills development in subjects covered by the ACT and SAT examinations, after-school educational enrichment programs, the academic value of enrollment and success in college preparatory and advanced placement courses in high school and the importance of early providence and planning for future college participation. Each school shall inform students on lottery scholarship day of the necessity of passing Gateway tests for graduation from high school and the consequences of failure to pass the tests with respect to further educational opportunities. (g) Each high school shall provide workshops on completing college admissions and financial aid applications for tenth through twelfth grade students and their parents. Considerable attention shall be given to providing guidance to twelfth grade students and their parents at the workshops. The workshops may be conducted in conjunction with the school's lottery scholarship day. (h) Parents of students in grades eight through eleven (8-11) shall acknowledge that they have received the information concerning lottery scholarships that is required to be provided under this section when they sign students' course schedules for the following school year. (i) Before June 1 each year, each LEA shall report to the department of education when each school's lottery scholarship day was conducted, the number of students participating, the percentage of students participating in each grade and the activities that occurred during that day. LEAs shall also report when each school conducted college admissions workshops, the number of students participating, the percentage of students participating in each grade and the activities that occurred at such workshops. The department of education shall compile and evaluate the data collected from the LEAs and submit a report concerning lottery scholarship days and college admission workshops to the education committees of the senate and of the house of representatives before October 1 of each year. (j) The administrative costs incurred by the department of education and TSAC in administering the programs established by this section, which provides information to students about lottery scholarships consistent with the Constitution of Tennessee, Article XI, § 5 shall be funded from the lottery for education account created by § 4-51-111 . (k) The Tennessee higher education commission, the University of Tennessee system, and the state university and community college system may also provide information on financial assistance available from net lottery proceeds for attendance at eligible postsecondary institutions in the normal course of their business of development and recruitment of Tennessee students.

Legislative History

Amended by 2013 Tenn. Acts, ch. 167, s 1, eff. 4/16/2013. Acts 2005, ch. 481, § 28; 2006, ch. 909, § 1; 2009 , ch. 262, § 4.