March 1, 2026, 5:08 a.m. CT
- New Tennessee laws will restrict student cell phone use in classrooms.
- Elementary schools are now required to provide 40 minutes of daily recess.
- Tennessee is the first state to mandate gun safety training for all public school students.
This article was originally published by the Students United News Network (SUNN) in the first citywide student-led newspaper in the USA, Nashville SUNN (NashvilleSUNN.com).
New state laws are reshaping students’ school days.
Whether or not students are of voting age, their day-to-day lives are impacted by a new batch of laws hitting Tennessee’s public schools this year.
We are both Tennessee-educated youth journalists. Ashwika is a high school senior who serves as the Youth Governor at the Tennessee Youth in Government yearly conference. Sarah, a Tennessee high school graduate, is a college sophomore who has canvassed for Congressional campaigns.
Here are three new education 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 last March.
HB0085: Expanding recess time.
Tennessee’s new recess law mandates that elementary schools provide 40 minutes of unstructured outdoor play per day, rather than the original requirement of 130 minutes per week (which averaged 26 minutes per day).Under the new law, which took effect on July 1, public schools cannot count physical education class time towards 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 well-being 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 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 Rep. Scott Cepicky, R-Culleoka, the bill’s sponsor, told the Tennessee Firefly. “What we’re all looking for is better academic success of our students.”
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,” State Rep. Chris Todd, R-Madison County, 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 parents and lawmakers, 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 State Sen. Jeff Yarbro, D-Nashville.
Regardless, the law is in effect, and does not allow families to opt out of the training.
The structure and environment of the public school day are in the hands of local and state lawmakers. Laws pertaining to schooling affect all students, regardless of age or political identity. Whether it’s less screen time, more recess or new gun safety training, laws are shaping the lives of Tennessee’s young people.
As student journalists, we are keeping a close eye on legislative activity in the Tennessee General Assembly and aim to engage young people in this process.
New bills on the General Assembly’s horizon have major stakes, everything from outlawing unsafe storage of firearms to empowering response teams to sexual violence. We will continue to report on developments like these at the state and local levels.
In doing so, we intend to show young people how politics drive everyday change, and to keep them engaged with the systems that impact their lives.
Sarah Page-McCaw, a University School of Nashville graduate, is a Columbia University sophomore who’s canvassed for Congressional campaigns. Ashwika Chitreddy is a Brentwood High School senior who serves as the 2025-’26 Youth Governor of Tennessee. The Nashville SUNN (NashvilleSUNN.com) is the first citywide student-led newspaper in the U.S. and a publication of the Students United News Network.
