Tennessee School Internet Safety Laws: TCA 49-1-221, Phone Limits and CIPA
Tennessee is one of the states that writes school filtering into its own code. Every local education agency must adopt an internet acceptable use policy that includes filtering technology, on top of the federal CIPA rules.
This guide walks through what the state law asks for, how it lines up with CIPA, and what to keep on file.
What CIPA requires of Tennessee schools
The Children's Internet Protection Act binds schools and libraries that receive E-Rate discounts for internet access or internal connections. It sets five things you must have in place before you certify.
Filter
A technology protection measure that blocks visual depictions that are obscene, child pornography or harmful to minors.
Policy
An internet safety policy covering inappropriate matter, messaging safety, hacking, and minors' personal information.
Public meeting
Reasonable public notice and at least one public hearing or meeting on the policy.
Monitor and teach
Monitoring of minors' online activity and education on online behavior, social networking and cyberbullying.
Certify
FCC Form 486 for schools and libraries, or Form 479 for consortium members.
If you need the full background first, read what CIPA is and who must comply. The rest of this page assumes those basics and focuses on what Tennessee adds.
Give your Tennessee acceptable use policy a filter it can point to
TCA 49-1-221 has every local education agency choose filtering technology and report its policy to the state. Our hosted CIPA filter is a DNS filter that we run for you, which gives the policy a named tool, written categories and records to attach.
- One policy covers students and staff, and the same filter applies to both sets of computers
- Local choices such as Gambling, Weapons or Social Networking are switches you can set by school
- A guest network can use the same DNS setting, so visitors' devices are not left outside the policy
What Tennessee adds: the TCA 49-1-221 acceptable use policy
TCA 49-1-221 directs each local education agency to adopt an internet acceptable use policy with minimum content. The Tennessee Department of Education reviews district policies against the elements drawn from the statute.
Applies to every LEA, not only districts that take E-Rate.
Covers students and employees in one policy.
Pairs filtering with instruction and accountability.
Our summary in our own words. Check the current code text before you cite it.
Prohibit inappropriate use
The policy must include provisions designed to prohibit inappropriate use of school internet access by employees and students.
In practice: one acceptable use policy that names staff and student duties.Protect students from harmful material
It must aim to prevent student access to material the LEA considers harmful to students, which leaves room for local judgment beyond the federal list.
In practice: a written list of local categories with reasons.Select filtering technology
The LEA must select a technology for school computers with internet access that filters or blocks child pornography and obscenity.
In practice: a named filter, enforced on every student-facing computer.Accountability
The policy should set out consequences for violations, so students and staff know what follows misuse.
In practice: a tiered response path tied to the student code of conduct.Internet safety instruction
The state's internet safety guidance points districts to an internet safety curriculum in K-12 schools as part of the same law.
In practice: lessons that also meet the CIPA education element.Report to the state
Districts report their policy to the Tennessee Department of Education, which has published summaries of how district policies measure up.
In practice: keep the submitted version and date on file.CIPA and Tennessee law compared
The two overlap heavily, which is good news. One well-written policy can satisfy both, as long as it covers the items unique to each.
CIPA (federal)
- Triggered by E-Rate discounts or certain library funds
- Filter for obscene, child pornography and harmful to minors visual content
- Public notice and a hearing or meeting before adoption
- Monitoring of minors and online safety education
- Certification on Form 486 or Form 479
- Adult disable for bona fide research or other lawful purpose
TCA 49-1-221 (state)
- Applies to every LEA, whether or not it takes E-Rate
- Filter for child pornography and obscenity on school computers
- Rules for inappropriate use by employees as well as students
- Local judgment on material harmful to students
- Consequences for misuse and an internet safety curriculum
- Policy reported to the state department of education
Our guide to the CIPA internet safety policy lists the federal topics in order. Add the Tennessee items and the staff rules, and you have a single document for both laws.
The 2025 Tennessee phone law and what it means for filtering
House Bill 932 requires school boards and public charter school governing bodies to adopt policies restricting student use of phones and other wireless devices during instructional time. It is a device rule, not a filtering rule, but it changes where students get online.
Signed
Governor Lee signed the bill in late March 2025 after wide votes in both chambers.
Policies in force
Boards apply their policies from the 2025-26 school year and each year after.
Devices covered
Reporting describes phones, tablets, smart watches and similar wireless devices.
Learning and health
Use for teacher-directed learning, emergencies, health management and disability needs.
Why a phone rule helps your filter
A personal phone on cellular data never touches your school filter. Each class period those phones stay put away, students are online through school devices and networks you control.
Some Tennessee districts went bell to bell, others limit use to class time only. Either way, school devices carry more of the load, so their filtering should be your strongest.
The TikTok law is for colleges, not K-12
Public Chapter 152 of 2023 bars access to certain social media platforms run by companies based in the People's Republic of China, including TikTok, over the networks of public colleges and universities. It does not reach K-12 districts.
K-12 leaders who want to block social media on school networks do so through their own policy. See social media filtering in schools for how to set it up by grade band.
Tennessee student data laws that touch filtering and monitoring
Filters and monitoring tools produce data about named students. Tennessee has its own student data laws, and federal FERPA and COPPA rules sit alongside them.
Data Accessibility, Transparency and Accountability Act
The state's student data law for the education system, which sets expectations for how student data is collected, used and protected.
Student Online Personal Protection Act
Aimed at operators of websites, services and apps designed and marketed for K-12 school purposes. Among other duties, it bars them from using student data for targeted advertising.
Data privacy agreements
Many Tennessee districts sign student data privacy agreements with technology vendors. Filtering and monitoring vendors should be on that list.
For the federal side, our guide to student data privacy, FERPA and filtering covers what logs can hold and who may see them. Category filtering that blocks by site type needs far less personal data than tools that read what students type.
What Tennessee law means for your filter settings
The state names child pornography and obscenity, and CIPA adds harmful to minors. Everything else is a local decision under the "harmful to students" wording, so write it down.
| Category | Basis | Notes for Tennessee districts |
|---|---|---|
| Adult | State and CIPA | Block on every school computer and network, staff included under 49-1-221. |
| Lingerie/Swimsuits/Intimate Apparel | CIPA for minors | Often block for students as part of the harmful to minors standard. |
| VPN / Proxy / Anonymizers | Needed to enforce | Without this, the filter you selected can be bypassed in minutes. |
| Gambling, Weapons, Illegal Drugs | Local choice | Common under the harmful to students wording. Record the decision. |
| Violence, Hate/Discrimination | Local choice | Block for younger grades, and keep a research unblock path for older students. |
| Social Networking, Gaming, Streaming Media | Local choice | Often split by grade band and by time of day. |
| AI / LLM Tools | Local choice | Not required by law. See the AI tools blocklist for schools. |
| Malware / Phishing / Suspicious | Security | Not a CIPA item, but it protects the accounts the policy covers. |
For take-home laptops and tablets, the state wording says school computers, and CIPA follows the funding. Most districts apply the same rules at home; see how to enforce CIPA on off-campus student devices.
How a mix of sites that start Tennessee board debates are labelled
The state leaves room for local judgment, so the category matters when a board has to explain a block. We looked up a mix of sites that tend to start the conversation.
| Site | Categories in our data | How a Tennessee board might treat it |
|---|---|---|
| onlyfans.com | Adult | Blocked for students and staff under the obscenity duty |
| reddit.com | Social Networking, Forums / Message Boards, Community Sites | Three categories, so a grade-band rule needs a clear decision |
| twitch.tv | Streaming Media, Gaming | Often split by grade band and time of day |
| character.ai | AI / LLM Tools, Web-based Applications | An AI chat site where the board writes its own stance |
| psiphon.ca | VPN / Proxy / Anonymizers | The bypass category that protects the rest of the policy |
| quizlet.com | Education/Reference, Webinars/E-learning | A study site you will want open, which the label confirms |
Common Tennessee situations and how the rules settle them
Most compliance questions are not about the statute text. They come up as a request from a teacher, a parent or a principal, and the answer depends on which rule owns the decision.
A teacher's laptop reaches an adult site
TCA 49-1-221 covers employees, so the filter for child pornography and obscenity applies to staff computers too. Handle the event under the staff side of the acceptable use policy.
A senior project needs a blocked topic
CIPA allows the filter to be disabled for adults doing bona fide research. For students, a teacher can request a reviewed, time-limited unblock of specific sites.
A parent asks why a site is blocked
Point to the category and the board decision behind it. Our domain category checker shows how a single site is classed.
A student hotspots a phone in class
Under the HB 932 policy, the phone should be put away during instruction. Treat it as a device policy issue first and a filtering issue second.
Visitors and family devices at events
Guest networks used by minors are worth filtering to the same core standard. It avoids an obvious gap in the policy you reported to the state.
A school wants an AI writing tool
Neither law requires a block. Check the vendor's data terms under the 2016 operator law, then decide by grade band and purpose.
A staff bypass that closes by itself
CIPA lets an authorized adult open the filter for bona fide research, and the console does it with a staff PIN for 15, 30 or 60 minutes. The change is logged and switches back on its own, and VPN/Proxy/Anonymizers stays blocked while it runs.
Writing one acceptable use policy for both laws
Districts often keep an old acceptable use policy and add a CIPA page to it. A single, well-ordered document is easier to defend and easier for families to read.
Purpose and scope
Name who the policy covers: students, employees, guests, and every device and network the district provides.
Prohibited use
List inappropriate use in plain words, including hacking, sharing minors' personal information and bypassing the filter.
Filtering and monitoring
State the filter standard, the local categories, how monitoring works and how unblock requests are handled.
Teaching and consequences
Describe the internet safety lessons and the tiered consequences for misuse by students and staff.
Our guide to the acceptable use policy for schools shows the topics most boards include, which you can adapt to the Tennessee wording. Keep the phone rules from your HB 932 policy consistent with the device section, so students and parents read one message, not two.
Tennessee school internet safety compliance checklist
Work through these before the school year starts. The owner tag shows who usually holds each item. For the federal list in full, use our CIPA compliance checklist.
- Acceptable use policy adoptedCovers the 49-1-221 elements and the CIPA safety policy topics in one document.Board
- Public notice and meeting heldNeeded by CIPA before the policy is adopted or materially changed.Board clerk
- Staff rules includedEmployees are named in the state law, so their duties sit in the same policy.HR and board
- Filter selected and enforcedBlocks child pornography and obscenity, plus harmful to minors content for students.Technology
- Bypass tools blockedVPN, proxy and anonymizer services closed on networks and devices.Technology
- Local categories recordedEach extra category tied to the harmful to students wording, with a reason.Curriculum and tech
- Phone policy alignedThe HB 932 policy and the acceptable use policy say the same thing about devices.Board
- Internet safety lessons scheduledCovers the state curriculum and the CIPA education element, including cyberbullying.Curriculum
- Vendor data agreements signedFor filtering, monitoring and classroom tools that handle student data.Privacy lead
- Policy reported and Form 486 filedState report submitted and federal certification on time for the funding year.E-Rate lead
Evidence to keep for a review or a complaint
E-Rate rules require records to be kept for at least 10 years after the last date of service. The state may also ask for your policy, so keep both sets in one place.
Adopted policy
Final text, adoption date and vote record.
Meeting notice
Posted notice and minutes of the public meeting.
State submission
The version sent to the department and the date.
Filter export
Category settings by group, saved each term.
Device coverage
Proof that take-home devices are filtered off campus.
Lesson records
Internet safety curriculum and delivery by grade.
Phone policy
The HB 932 policy and parent communication.
Form 486
Filed certification for each funding year.
Districts that license our category data can add the validation reports with the measured accuracy of the CIPA categories to this folder. They help show the filter you selected does what the policy says.
Meeting TCA 49-1-221 with our filter compared with managing it yourself
Each row is a task your policy creates for a Tennessee LEA, and the two columns show how it tends to go.
| Task for the LEA | Managed in-house | Hosted CIPA filter |
|---|---|---|
| Choose a filter for every school computer | Pick a product, then install and update it | One DNS setting per school, nothing installed on the computers |
| Apply the policy to employees as well | A second configuration for staff machines | The same category switches cover students and staff |
| Record local "harmful to students" choices | Notes kept apart from the real settings | The policy record shows each school's category settings |
| Allow a time-limited research unblock | Edit a list and remember to reverse it | Always-allow list or a logged PIN bypass that reverts |
| Keep take-home devices in scope | Depends on how each device is managed | Private encrypted link keeps the rules on laptops and phones off the network |
| Show the state what you run | Assemble screenshots and exports | Activity reports and a log export for the file |
Tennessee school internet safety FAQ
Does Tennessee require school internet filters?
Yes. TCA 49-1-221 requires each LEA to adopt an acceptable use policy that includes selecting technology to filter or block child pornography and obscenity on school computers with internet access.
Does the state law cover staff?
Yes. The policy must address inappropriate use by employees and students, so staff rules belong in the same policy.
Does a district without E-Rate still need a filter?
Under the state law, yes. TCA 49-1-221 applies to every LEA. CIPA only applies if you take the covered discounts.
What is the Tennessee phone law?
HB 932, signed in March 2025, requires policies restricting student device use during instructional time from 2025-26. Districts may choose stricter rules, such as bell to bell.
Does the TikTok law apply to our schools?
No. Public Chapter 152 of 2023 applies to public colleges and universities. K-12 districts decide on social media through their own policy.
Which data laws apply to our filter vendor?
The 2014 Data Accessibility, Transparency and Accountability Act, the 2016 Student Online Personal Protection Act, plus FERPA and COPPA. Sign a data privacy agreement with each vendor.
Can a teacher unblock a site for a lesson?
CIPA allows an authorized person to disable the filter for adults doing bona fide research. For students, use a reviewed request with a record of who approved it and for how long.
How long do we keep records?
At least 10 years after the last date of service for E-Rate. Keep the policy, meeting records, filter exports and Form 486 copies.
Compare Tennessee with other states
All of our state guides sit on one school internet safety laws by state page.
Related guides
- CIPA Internet Safety Policy: What It Must Contain and How to Write One
- CIPA Compliance Checklist for Schools and Districts (8 Steps)
- Explaining Web Filtering to Parents: Letters, FAQs, Clear Limits
- Kentucky School Internet Safety Laws: KRS 156.675 and HB 208
- North Carolina School Internet Safety Laws: HB 959 and CIPA
Pricing depends on how many Tennessee schools and devices you need covered, and we answer with a quote inside one business day. Piloting on one site gives your technology team real blocks and reports to review before they report the policy to the state.
Talk to us about your district
Tell us how your Tennessee schools are set up. We will show how our CIPA category data and the hosted CIPA filter pilot can meet TCA 49-1-221 and CIPA on every school device.
Talk to us about your districtTikTok is a trademark of its owner. It is used here only to identify the app named in the Tennessee law discussed. CIPA Web Filtering is not affiliated with, sponsored or endorsed by its owner.