HB 2475

Present law prohibits the department of education, the state board of education, local boards of education, public charter schools, LEAs, participating schools, and private schools that enroll recipients from hir ing or retain ing , and the state board of education from licensing or permitting, an individual found by the department of children's services to have committed child abuse, severe child abuse, child sexual abuse, or child neglect. This bill extends such prohibition to private schools that enroll s tudents with a Tennessee education savings account , an education freedom scholarship, or an individualized education account. The present law requirements for due process, emergency file reviews to determine whether a person poses an immediate threat, and submission of the names of current employees and persons conditionally offered employment to the department of children's services will apply to such private schools. This bill authorizes a child ca re agency that is exempt from licensing to request that the department of human services conduct a review of an employee or potential employee of the exempt child care agency to determine whether the employee or potential employee has a record of perpetrating the abuse or neglect of children or a dults, as indicated in the records of the department of children's services or the department of human services.