Image Credit: TN General Assembly, Senator Adam Lowe / Facebook & Antony-22 / CC
The Tennessee Conservative [By Paula Gomes] –
A truancy bill that is fiercely opposed by Tennessee Homeschool families will be heard in the Senate Education Committee on Monday, February 23rd, 2026.
Sponsored by Senator Adam Lowe (R-Calhoun-District 1), Senate Bill 1968 (SB1968) “requires a director of schools to refer to juvenile court a student who was formerly enrolled in the LEA, who was receiving truancy interventions, who withdrew from the LEA, and who did not transfer to another LEA.”
SB1968 is the second attempt by Lowe to run legislation dealing with truancy after his previous, and very similar, bill received pushback from homeschool families.
The now withdrawn bill stated, “As introduced, requires director of schools to report a student who was formally truant and now enrolled in a home school to juvenile court; establishes that unexcused absences accumulated by a transfer student at their former school or LEA during the school year in which they transfer follow the student to the receiving school or LEA to determine habitual truancy, to implement a progressive truancy plan, and to identify cases of educational neglect.”
While SB1968 does not include “home school” in the bill’s language, the proposed legislation remains virtually unchanged.
Contact information for members of the Senate Education Committee may be found below.
Sen.bill.powers@capitol.tn.gov
Sen.raumesh.akbari@capitol.tn.gov
Sen.rusty.crowe@capitol.tn.gov
Sen.ferrell.haile@capitol.tn.gov
Sen.joey.hensley@capitol.tn.gov
Sen.kerry.roberts@capitol.tn.gov
Sen.dawn.white@capitol.tn.gov; sen.bill.powers@capitol.tn.gov; sen.raumesh.akbari@capitol.tn.gov; sen.rusty.crowe@capitol.tn.gov; sen.ferrell.haile@capitol.tn.gov; sen.joey.hensley@capitol.tn.gov; sen.adam.lowe@capitol.tn.gov; sen.mark.pody@capitol.tn.gov; sen.kerry.roberts@capitol.tn.gov
More information on SB1968 / HB1700 can be found HERE.
About the Author: Paula Gomes is a Tennessee resident and reporter for The Tennessee Conservative. You can reach Paula at paula@tennesseeconservativenews.com.
One Response
Thanx! Emailed committee, “RE. SB1968 anti-home school bill, PLEASE KILL this!!