(a) A public school shall, to the extent practicable, provide a reasonable accommodation to a student, teacher, or employee of the public school who:

Terms Used In Tennessee Code 49-2-803

  • Changing facility: means an area in which a person may be in a state of undress in the presence of others, including a locker room, changing room, or shower room. See Tennessee Code 49-2-802
  • 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.
  • Reasonable accommodation: includes , but is not limited to, access to a single-occupancy restroom or changing facility or use of an employee restroom or changing facility. See Tennessee Code 49-2-802
  • Restroom: means a facility that includes one (1) or more toilets or urinals. See Tennessee Code 49-2-802
  • 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
  • written: includes printing, typewriting, engraving, lithography, and any other mode of representing words and letters. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
(1) Desires greater privacy when using a multi-occupancy restroom or changing facility designated for the student’s, teacher’s, or employee’s sex and located within a public school building, or when using multi-occupancy sleeping quarters designated for the student’s, teacher’s, or employee’s sex while the student, teacher, or employee is attending a public school-sponsored activity; and
(2) Provides a written request for a reasonable accommodation to the school principal. If the student requesting a reasonable accommodation is under eighteen (18) years of age, then the student’s parent or legal guardian must provide the written request on the student’s behalf.
(b) The school principal shall evaluate the request on behalf of the public school and, to the extent practicable, provide a reasonable accommodation. The principal shall issue a decision approving or denying the request in writing. If the principal denies the request, then the grounds for denial must be provided in the principal’s written decision.
(c) This section does not prohibit public schools from adopting policies necessary to accommodate persons protected under the Americans with Disabilities Act, (42 U.S.C. § 12101 et seq.), or persons in need of physical assistance when using restrooms or changing facilities located in public schools.
  Previous section
Next section  
 Part 8 Contents