Pursuant to T.C.A. § 49-6-1026, Tennessee school districts are authorized to offer an elective course on a nonsectarian, nonreligious, academic study of the Bible that aligns with the Tennessee Bible Standards. Currently, there is no curriculum or textbook approved for Bible by the State Textbook and Instructional Materials Quality Commission. Instead, Bible courses are intended to align to the 2009 academic standards, see link above, that are adopted by the State Board of Education. 

There are no LEAs that currently have independently developed curriculum for Bible that has been approved by the Department of Education. Additionally, LEAs may apply for a Bible specific special course during the annual review period conducted by the TDOE, Office of Academics. In summary, the following LEAs offer an approved Bible course (G01H25) aligned to the Tennessee Bible Standards in the 2022-2023 academic school year.

For inquiries about the course, please contact humanities.education@tn.gov. For inquiries about curriculum materials pertinent to the course, please contact Tennessee.textbooks@tn.gov. 

The following LEAs have indicated their intent to offer a course aligned to the Tennessee Bible Standards:

• Alvin C. York Institute
• Anderson County
• Arlington
• Bledsoe County Schools
• Bradley County
• Coffee County
• Collierville
• Crockett County
• DeKalb County
• Department of Children's Services Education Division
• Fayette County 
• Giles County
• Greene County
• Hamilton County
• Hardeman County
• Hickman County
• Humphreys County
• Jefferson County
• Kingsport
• Knox County
• Lauderdale County
• Jackson-Madison County
• Marion County
• Richard City
• Polk County
• Rhea County
• Rutherford County
• Sequatchie County
• Sevier County
• Tipton County
• Washington County
• Williamson County
• Wilson County

Updated: April 4, 2023