Attention, Tennessee teens! New state laws are changing the landscape of your educational lives. Whether it’s keeping your phone away at school or receiving gun safety instruction, these legal changes impact your schoolday. Here are three of the most important new education-related laws you should know about.
HB0932: Keeping phones out of classrooms.
Schools are unplugging! Beginning in the 2025-2026 school year, public schools are required to adopt policies prohibiting students from using cell phones in class without teacher authorization. These policies apply to cell phones, tablets, smartwatches, gaming consoles, and other “wireless communication devices.”
Laws restricting cell phone use are becoming widespread across the country — 17 states have enacted all-day phone bans, and 35 states have imposed some kind of phone restriction during school.
Tennessee’s phone ban aims to improve students’ focus during the school day. Two-thirds of students reported being distracted by digital devices in class, according to a 2022 study by the Program for International Student Assessment. When students are allowed to use their devices in class, they regularly perform worse on exams, according to a 2018 Rutgers University study.
“Many students think they can divide their attention in the classroom without harming their academic success,” Arnold Glass, the lead researcher on the study, told the Rutgers University blog. “But we found an insidious effect on exam performance and final grades.”
The law includes exceptions for students with disabilities who rely on wireless devices, and for phone use in emergency situations. Tennessee’s Wireless Communication Device Restriction Bill received wide bipartisan support and was signed into law in March.
HB0085: Expanding recess time.
Tennessee’s new recess law mandates that elementary schools provide 40 minutes of unstructured outdoor play per day, as opposed to the original requirement of 130 minutes per week (which came out to an average of 26 minutes per day).
Under the new law, which took effect July 1, public schools cannot count physical education class time toward recess time. The law also stipulates that schools cannot force students to skip recess as a punishment.
The new law aims to promote health and behavioral wellbeing in students. Physical activity mitigates the effects of obesity, which impacts 23% of public school students nationwide, according to data from the 2019-2020 school year. Additionally, recess has been found to improve memory and attention in the classroom and to reduce disruptive behavior, according to the CDC.
“The studies out there show unequivocally that more recess time leads to better socialization of students, less distractions in the classroom, less disciplinary actions, [and] better teacher satisfaction,” State Representative Scott Cepicky, the bill’s sponsor, told the Tennessee Firefly. “What we’re all looking for is better academic success of our students.”
Tenn. Code Ann. § 49-6-1016: Requiring gun safety instruction in schools.
Tennessee just became the first state in the country to mandate a gun safety training program in schools. The law went into effect at the start of the 2025-2026 school year, and includes mandatory programming for kindergarten through twelfth grade.
The gun safety training will teach students how to identify firearms and instruct them in a safety procedure on what to do if they encounter a gun: Stop, Don’t Touch, Leave the Area, and Tell an Adult. The programming features videos and online content; and older students will be taught about safe gun storage.
According to Everytown, there have been 158 accidental shootings by children between 2015 and 2024. Tennessee has the 12th highest rate of gun deaths in the United States.
“I firmly believe a bill like this and the training the children will get from this point forward is going to save lives,” Republican State Representative Chris Todd, a sponsor of the bill, told WBBJ 7 Eyewitness News. Jenniffer Manhart, a gun owner and mother of three, is also optimistic about the new law. “With the laws here in Tennessee, it’s very common that a lot of homes and families do have guns, and kids are curious,” she said to News Channel 5. “And if they understand the severity of it, then I think there would be less bad outcomes.”
Some, however, are less convinced. “Rather than deal with the fact that there are firearms that are negligently and recklessly left somewhere by adults, we’re trying to teach children how to deal with that negligence,” said Democratic State Senator Jeff Yarbro.
Regardless, the law is in effect, and does not allow families to opt out of the training.
Tennessee schools are adapting to some big changes. Whether it’s less screen time, more recess, or new gun safety training, new laws are set to impact your day-to-day life. Your elected representatives shape the lives you lead. Stay informed!
