There has been some confusion about the recent amendment made to Tennessee's Education Code which passed in the last session.
As it was originally proposed by House Representative Harold Love and State Senator Reginald Tate, House Bill 1755 would have allowed "every candidate for a full high school diploma to enroll and complete one (1) computer science class and accept this class as satisfying the fine arts requirement for graduation." Had this passed with its original language, it would have created the potential for devastating effects on fine arts enrollments, staffing, and scheduling in high schools across the state.
However, the bill was amended on the floor of the house on February 29. The amended language, which passed through both the house and senate unanimously and was signed into law by the governor on March 31, states:
"Beginning with the 2016-2017 school year, the state board of education shall approve appropriate computer science courses that every candidate for a full high school diploma may enroll in and complete to satisfy the elective focus requirement for graduation. As used in this section, "computer science courses" shall include, but not be limited to, software engineering, computer programming, computer graphics and design, and computer-aided design" (Tenn. Code Ann. § 49-6-6004 (2016)).
This places computer science within the elective category of graduation requirements and should have no impact on the 1 credit fine arts requirement already in place.
As it was originally proposed by House Representative Harold Love and State Senator Reginald Tate, House Bill 1755 would have allowed "every candidate for a full high school diploma to enroll and complete one (1) computer science class and accept this class as satisfying the fine arts requirement for graduation." Had this passed with its original language, it would have created the potential for devastating effects on fine arts enrollments, staffing, and scheduling in high schools across the state.
However, the bill was amended on the floor of the house on February 29. The amended language, which passed through both the house and senate unanimously and was signed into law by the governor on March 31, states:
"Beginning with the 2016-2017 school year, the state board of education shall approve appropriate computer science courses that every candidate for a full high school diploma may enroll in and complete to satisfy the elective focus requirement for graduation. As used in this section, "computer science courses" shall include, but not be limited to, software engineering, computer programming, computer graphics and design, and computer-aided design" (Tenn. Code Ann. § 49-6-6004 (2016)).
This places computer science within the elective category of graduation requirements and should have no impact on the 1 credit fine arts requirement already in place.
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