(a) The LEA, in consultation with parents, teachers and administrators, shall develop and adopt a policy to promote the involvement of parents and guardians of children enrolled in the schools within the school district. The plan shall be submitted to the commissioner of education as part of the district's school improvement plans and shall be consistent with the Tennessee parent/family involvement policy of the state board of education. The plan shall include:

(a) The state board of education shall promulgate rules, in accordance with the Uniform Administrative Procedures Act, compiled in title 4, chapter 5, that prescribe guidelines for use by local boards of education in establishing standards and policies governing student attendance, subject to availability of funds. The guidelines shall include, but not be limited to, the following stipulations:

(e)(1) By the beginning of each school year, the principal or head of school of a public, nonpublic, or church-related school shall give written notice to the parent, guardian, or person having control of a student subject to compulsory attendance that the parent, guardian, or other person having control of the student must monitor the student's school attendance and require the student to attend school. The written notice must inform the parent, guardian, or other person having control of a student that a student who accumulates five (5) days of unexcused absences during the school year is subject to the LEA's progressive truancy interventions and that continued unexcused absences may result in a referral to juvenile court. The five (5) days of unexcused absences need not be five (5) consecutive days of unexcused absences.

(h)(2) If a student accumulates five (5) days of unexcused absences, the director of schools shall serve, or cause to be served, upon the parent, guardian, or other person having control of the student written notice that the student's attendance at school is required. The notice must inform the parent, guardian, or other person having control of the student of this subsection (h).

(d) Progressive truancy plans adopted by local boards of education pursuant to subsection (c) must be applied prior to referral to juvenile court as described in § 49-6- 3007(e)(1). Beginning with the 2021-2022 school year, progressive truancy plans must include a first tier of truancy prevention that is applicable to all enrolled students, and a second and third tier of truancy intervention required for students who have accumulated a minimum of five (5) days of unexcused absences. Beginning with the 2021-2022 school year, progressive truancy plans must meet the following requirements:

(c)(1) Except in an emergency, no principal, principal-teacher or assistant principal shall suspend any student until that student has been advised of the nature of the student's misconduct, questioned about it and allowed to give an explanation.

(c)(1) Notwithstanding subsection (a), the chief administrative officer, or the chief administrative officer's designee, is prohibited from using corporal punishment against any student who has a disability, unless an LEA's discipline policy permits the use of corporal punishment and a parent of a child who has a disability permits, in writing, the use of corporal punishment against the parent's child. The written permission must state the type of corporal punishment that may be used and the circumstances in which the use of corporal punishment is permitted. The school's chief administrative officer must keep the written permission on file at the school. The school's chief administrative officer must notify the parent any time corporal punishment is used. The school's chief administrative officer must inform the parent, when the written permission for the use of corporal punishment is submitted, that the parent may revoke the permission to use corporal punishment at any time by giving written notice to the school's chief administrative officer that corporal punishment may no longer be used against the parent's child who has a disability.

(d)(2) The principal, or the principal's designee, shall immediately inform the parent or legal guardian of a student involved in an act of harassment, intimidation, bullying, or cyber-bullying. The principal or the principal's designee shall inform the parents or legal guardians of the students of the availability of counseling and support services that may be necessary.

(7) Whenever possible, attendance issues should be resolved at the school level. To ensure due process, Local boards of education must adopt a policy that affords students with excessive (more than 5) unexcused absences the opportunity to appeal. Such policy must, at minimum, include written or actual notice to the student or their parent/guardian and the opportunity to be heard. The burden of proof rests on the student or their parent/guardian. The appeal process for determining unexcused absences is ancillary to a truancy decision rendered by a juvenile court judge as described in T.C.A. § 49-6-3010.