Terms Used In Tennessee Code > Title 49 > Chapter 1 - State Administration

• Affidavit: A written statement of facts confirmed by the oath of the party making it, before a notary or officer having authority to administer oaths.
• Aggregate data: means data collected or reported at the group, cohort or institutional level. See Tennessee Code 49-1-702
• Amendment: A proposal to alter the text of a pending bill or other measure by striking out some of it, by inserting new language, or both. Before an amendment becomes part of the measure, thelegislature must agree to it.
• Answer: The formal written statement by a defendant responding to a civil complaint and setting forth the grounds for defense.
• Appeal: A request made after a trial, asking another court (usually the court of appeals) to decide whether the trial was conducted properly. To make such a request is "to appeal" or "to take an appeal." One who appeals is called the appellant.
• Appraisal: A determination of property value.
• Appropriation: The provision of funds, through an annual appropriations act or a permanent law, for federal agencies to make payments out of the Treasury for specified purposes. The formal federal spending process consists of two sequential steps: authorization
• Assets: (1) The property comprising the estate of a deceased person, or (2) the property in a trust account.
• Attachment: A procedure by which a person's property is seized to pay judgments levied by the court.
• Board: means the Tennessee board of court reporting. See Tennessee Code 20-9-602
• care providers: means the person, persons, entity or entities directly responsible for providing for the supervision, protection and basic needs of the child. See Tennessee Code 49-1-1102
• Chambers: A judge's office.
• Child care: means the provision of supervision, protection and, at a minimum, the basic needs of a child or children for three (3) or more hours a day, but less than twenty-four (24) hours a day. See Tennessee Code 49-1-1102
• Child care program: means any place or facility operated by any person or entity that provides child care for children in a before or after school based program operated by a local board of education pursuant to §. See Tennessee Code 49-1-1102
• Child or children: means a person or persons under eighteen (18) years of age. See Tennessee Code 49-1-1102
• Code: includes the Tennessee Code and all amendments and revisions to the code and all additions and supplements to the code. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
• Commissioner: means the chief administrative officer in charge of the department of education. See Tennessee Code 49-1-1102
• Complaint: A written statement by the plaintiff stating the wrongs allegedly committed by the defendant.
• Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
• Corporation: A legal entity owned by the holders of shares of stock that have been issued, and that can own, receive, and transfer property, and carry on business in its own name.
• County mayor: means and includes "county executive" unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
• Court reporter: A person who makes a word-for-word record of what is said in court and produces a transcript of the proceedings upon request.
• Court reporting: means the making of a verbatim record by means of manual shorthand, machine shorthand, closed microphone voice dictation silencer or by electronic recording of any testimony given under oath before or for submission to, any court, referee or court examiner, by any board, commission or other body or in any other proceeding where a verbatim record is required. See Tennessee Code 20-9-602
• Covered information: means personally identifiable information or material, or information that is linked to personally identifiable information or material, in any media or format that is not publicly available and is:
  (A) Created by or provided to an operator by a student, or the student's parent or legal guardian, in the course of the student's, parent's, or legal guardian's use of the operator's site, service, or application for K-12 school purposes. See Tennessee Code 49-1-702
• Damages: Money paid by defendants to successful plaintiffs in civil cases to compensate the plaintiffs for their injuries.
• Data system: means the body of student data collected by the department of education. See Tennessee Code 49-1-702
• De-identified data: means a student dataset in which parent and student identifying information, including the personal identification number, has been removed. See Tennessee Code 49-1-702
• Defendant: In a civil suit, the person complained against; in a criminal case, the person accused of the crime.
• Department: means the department of education. See Tennessee Code 49-1-1102
• Department: means the department of education. See Tennessee Code 49-1-903
• Department: means the department of education. See Tennessee Code 49-1-702
• Dismissal: The dropping of a case by the judge without further consideration or hearing. ^Source:
• Docket: A log containing brief entries of court proceedings.
• Educational entity: means the state board of education, department of education, and any other body, board, or agency that governs a public or private elementary or secondary school, and includes, but is not limited to, local education agencies and local boards of education. See Tennessee Code 49-1-1203
• Educator preparation provider: means an entity approved by the state board that is responsible for managing, operating, or coordinating programs for the preparation and licensure of teachers, school leaders, and other school personnel. See Tennessee Code 49-1-903
• Employee: means :
  (A) An individual who is elected or appointed to an educational entity. See Tennessee Code 49-1-1203
• Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
• Ex officio: Literally, by virtue of one's office.
• Fair market value: The price at which an asset would change hands in a transaction between a willing, informed buyer and a willing, informed seller.
• FERPA: means the federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (20 U. See Tennessee Code 49-1-702
• Fiscal year: The fiscal year is the accounting period for the government. For the federal government, this begins on October 1 and ends on September 30. The fiscal year is designated by the calendar year in which it ends; for example, fiscal year 2006 begins on October 1, 2005 and ends on September 30, 2006.
• Foundational literacy skills: means phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. See Tennessee Code 49-1-903
• Foundational literacy skills instruction: means an evidence-based method of teaching students to read that includes phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension that enables students to develop the reading skills required to meet Tennessee's academic standards. See Tennessee Code 49-1-903
• Foundational literacy skills plan: means a proposal that details how an LEA or public charter school plans to provide foundational literacy skills instruction to students and reading interventions and supports, which may include interventions provided pursuant to Tennessee's response to instruction and intervention framework manual, to students identified as having a significant reading deficiency. See Tennessee Code 49-1-903
• Guardian: A person legally empowered and charged with the duty of taking care of and managing the property of another person who because of age, intellect, or health, is incapable of managing his (her) own affairs.
• Highway: includes public bridges and may be held equivalent to the words "county way" "county road" or "state road". See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
• Home literacy report: means a report provided to a student's parent by the LEA or public charter school describing the student's progress in foundational literacy skills. See Tennessee Code 49-1-903
• Injunction: An order of the court prohibiting (or compelling) the performance of a specific act to prevent irreparable damage or injury.
• Interactive computer service: means any information service, system, or access software provider that provides or enables computer access by multiple users to a computer server, including specifically a service or system that provides access to the internet and such systems operated or services offered by libraries or educational institutions. See Tennessee Code 49-1-702
• Joint resolution: A legislative measure which requires the approval of both chambers.
• Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
• Lease: A contract transferring the use of property or occupancy of land, space, structures, or equipment in consideration of a payment (e.g., rent). ^{Source: OCC}
• Litigation: A case, controversy, or lawsuit. Participants (plaintiffs and defendants) in lawsuits are called litigants.
• Minor: means any person who has not attained eighteen (18) years of age. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
• Month: means a calendar month. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
• Operator: means , to the extent that it is operating in this capacity, the operator of an internet website, online service, online application, or mobile application with actual knowledge that the site, service, or application is used primarily for K-12 school purposes and is designed and marketed for K-12 school purposes. See Tennessee Code 49-1-702
• Oversight: Committee review of the activities of a Federal agency or program.
• Parent: means a child's parent or guardian. See Tennessee Code 49-1-903
• Partnership: A voluntary contract between two or more persons to pool some or all of their assets into a business, with the agreement that there will be a proportional sharing of profits and losses.
• Person: includes a corporation, firm, company or association. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
• Personal identification number: means the unique student identifier assigned to a student under §. See Tennessee Code 49-1-702
• Plaintiff: The person who files the complaint in a civil lawsuit.
• Plea: In a criminal case, the defendant's statement pleading "guilty" or "not guilty" in answer to the charges, a declaration made in open court.
• Power of attorney: A written instrument which authorizes one person to act as another's agent or attorney. The power of attorney may be for a definite, specific act, or it may be general in nature. The terms of the written power of attorney may specify when it will expire. If not, the power of attorney usually expires when the person granting it dies. ^{Source: OCC}
• Probable cause: A reasonable ground for belief that the offender violated a specific law.
• Probation: A sentencing alternative to imprisonment in which the court releases convicted defendants under supervision as long as certain conditions are observed.
• Property: includes both personal and real property. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
• Prosecute: To charge someone with a crime. A prosecutor tries a criminal case on behalf of the government.
• Public law: A public bill or joint resolution that has passed both chambers and been enacted into law. Public laws have general applicability nationwide.
• Quorum: The number of legislators that must be present to do business.
• Record: means information that is inscribed on a tangible medium or that is stored in an electronic or other medium and is retrievable in a perceivable form. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
• Remainder: An interest in property that takes effect in the future at a specified time or after the occurrence of some event, such as the death of a life tenant.
• Reporter: Makes a record of court proceedings and prepares a transcript, and also publishes the court's opinions or decisions (in the courts of appeals).
• Representative: when applied to those who represent a decedent, includes executors and administrators, unless the context implies heirs and distributees. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
• Restitution: The court-ordered payment of money by the defendant to the victim for damages caused by the criminal action.
• Settlement: Parties to a lawsuit resolve their difference without having a trial. Settlements often involve the payment of compensation by one party in satisfaction of the other party's claims.
• sex: means a person's immutable biological sex as determined by anatomy and genetics existing at the time of birth and evidence of a person's biological sex. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
• signed: includes a mark, the name being written near the mark and witnessed, or any other symbol or methodology executed or adopted by a party with intention to authenticate a writing or record, regardless of being witnessed. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
• Significant reading deficiency: means :
  (A) For students in kindergarten through grade three (K-3), that a student's score on a universal reading screener is within the range of scores determined by the department to demonstrate a lack of proficiency in foundational literacy skills. See Tennessee Code 49-1-903
• 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
• State board: means the state board of education. See Tennessee Code 49-1-903
• State board: means the state board of education. See Tennessee Code 49-1-702
• Statute: A law passed by a legislature.
• Student data: includes :
  (i) State and national assessment results, including information on untested public school students. See Tennessee Code 49-1-702
• Subpoena: A command to a witness to appear and give testimony.
• Targeted advertising: means presenting advertisements to a student where advertisements are selected based on information obtained or inferred over time from that student's online behavior, usage of applications, or covered information. See Tennessee Code 49-1-702
• Teacher data: means personal summative and evaluation scores, the access to which is limited to the department, LEA administrators, local boards of education or those with direct supervisory authority who require such access to perform their assigned duties. See Tennessee Code 49-1-702
• Temporary restraining order: Prohibits a person from an action that is likely to cause irreparable harm. This differs from an injunction in that it may be granted immediately, without notice to the opposing party, and without a hearing. It is intended to last only until a hearing can be held.
• Tennessee universal reading screener: means the universal reading screener provided by the department. See Tennessee Code 49-1-903
• Testimony: Evidence presented orally by witnesses during trials or before grand juries.
• Transcript: A written, word-for-word record of what was said, either in a proceeding such as a trial or during some other conversation, as in a transcript of a hearing or oral deposition.
• Trustee: A person or institution holding and administering property in trust.
• United States: includes the District of Columbia and the several territories of the United States. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
• Universal reading screener: means a uniform tool that screens and monitors a student's progress in foundational literacy skills. See Tennessee Code 49-1-903
• Uphold: The decision of an appellate court not to reverse a lower court decision.
• Writ: A formal written command, issued from the court, requiring the performance of a specific act.
• written: includes printing, typewriting, engraving, lithography, and any other mode of representing words and letters. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
• Year: means a calendar year, unless otherwise expressed. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105