49-6-2207 - Adoption of textbooks by local board. - Tennessee Statutes

49-6-2207. Adoption of textbooks by local board.

(a)  (1)  The local boards of education are authorized and required to adopt textbooks to be used in the public schools of their school districts, from the list of textbooks listed for adoption by the commission, the adoption to be for a period of no less than three (3) years, but not exceeding the period agreed to in the state contract approved by the commission. The commission is authorized to develop guidelines under which this restriction may be waived.

     (2)  Boards are encouraged to adopt and make available for use by every student at least one (1) textbook in each subject at grade reading level in every grade.

(b)  (1)  Cities or special school districts may adopt the same textbooks that are used in the county in which the city or district is located.

     (2)  All cities or special school districts having a total population of less than five thousand (5,000) are required to make their adoption as a part of and in cooperation with the county unit in which the city or district is located.

(c)  (1)  Boards shall make their adoption upon recommendations of committees. These committees shall be set up by subject matter fields and composed of teachers, or supervisors and teachers, with the number of members of each committee to be determined by the board based upon the relative size of the local school system.

     (2)  These committees shall be composed of teachers and supervisors who are now teaching or supervising the respective subject and shall be by grade or groups of grades arranged so that a committee may consider an entire series of books if it should so desire; provided, that in all cases, the teachers appointed on the committees shall hold professional certificates and have had three (3) or more years of experience as teachers or supervisors in the public schools.

     (3)  The members of the committee authorized in this section shall serve for one (1) fiscal year.

     (4)  In recommending textbooks for use in economics or business-oriented courses or programs, the local committee should include, at least as a supplemental textbook, one (1) textbook written, illustrated and exemplified in such a manner as to facilitate comprehension by all students, including those of disadvantaged socioeconomic circumstances and of culturally different backgrounds.

(d)  (1)  All members appointed on the committees shall subscribe to the oath as set out in § 49-6-2201(f).

     (2)  The oath shall be administered by the county mayor or by some authorized official empowered to administer an oath.

(e)  The director of schools in the school district adopting textbooks under this part shall serve as ex officio member of all committees, and shall record a list of all books adopted and immediately at the completion of the adoption forward a copy of the recorded adoption to the commissioner of education.

(f)  As provided in § 49-6-2202(d), a local board may furnish electronic textbooks to pupils attending the public schools; provided, that the electronic textbooks are furnished free of charge. A board that chooses to furnish electronic textbooks to pupils attending school in the district shall provide reasonable access to the electronic textbooks and other necessary computer equipment to pupils in the district who are required to complete homework assignments and to teachers providing homework assignments utilizing electronic textbooks furnished by the board.

[Acts 1951, ch. 180, § 7 (Williams, § 2453.33); modified; Acts 1968, ch. 419, § 1; 1974, ch. 654, §§ 120, 121; T.C.A. (orig. ed.), § 49-2021; Acts 1984, ch. 595, § 7; 1984, ch. 748, § 2; 1999, ch. 228, § 5; 2001, ch. 271, § 2; 2003 ch. 90, § 2; 2004, ch. 722, § 1.]