(a) Except as provided in § 49-50-1508, when a subpoena duces tecum is served upon a custodian of records of any educational institution in this state in an action or proceeding in which the educational institution is neither a party nor the place where any cause of action is alleged to have arisen, and the subpoena requires the production of all or any part of the records of the educational institution or of the educational institution’s present or past student, it shall be sufficient compliance with the subpoena if the custodian or other officer of the educational institution within twenty (20) days after being served with a subpoena duces tecum, shall, either by personal delivery or certified or registered mail, file with the court clerk or the officer, body or tribunal conducting the hearing, a true and correct copy, which may be a copy reproduced on film or other reproducing material by microfilming, photographing, photostating, or other approximate process, or a facsimile, exemplification, or copy of such reproduction or copy, of all records described in the subpoena. Before complying with a subpoena for student records, the educational institution shall make a reasonable effort to notify the parent or the eligible student of the subpoena, so that the parent or eligible student may seek protective action, unless the subpoena was issued by a federal grand jury or for a law enforcement purpose and the court or other issuing agency ordered that the existence or the contents of the subpoena or the information furnished in response to the subpoena not be disclosed.
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Terms Used In Tennessee Code 49-50-1503

  • Custodian: means the educational record practitioner and the administrator or other chief officer of an educational institution in this state and its proprietor, as well as their deputies and assistants, and any other persons who are official custodians or depositories of records. See Tennessee Code 49-50-1502
  • Educational institution: means a public, private or parochial school providing education to students in the twelfth grade or below or a public or private postsecondary institution providing education to students at a level above the twelfth grade. See Tennessee Code 49-50-1502
  • Eligible student: means a student who has reached eighteen (18) years of age or is attending a postsecondary institution. See Tennessee Code 49-50-1502
  • Grand jury: agreement providing that a lender will delay exercising its rights (in the case of a mortgage,
  • Parent: means a parent of a student and includes a natural parent, a guardian, or an individual acting as a parent in the absence of a parent or a guardian. See Tennessee Code 49-50-1502
  • State: when applied to the different parts of the United States, includes the District of Columbia and the several territories of the United States. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
  • Subpoena: A command to a witness to appear and give testimony.
  • Subpoena duces tecum: A command to a witness to produce documents.
(b) Any party intending to use this section shall furnish the adverse party or the adverse party’s attorney a copy of the subpoena duces tecum no less than ten (10) days prior to the date set for the hearing of the matter for which the records may be subpoenaed.
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