Amends TCA Title 49, Chapter 6.

Present law requires that children entering public school kindergarten must be five years of age on or before August 15 each school year. This bill phases in a change in the age requirement for public school kindergarten so that children entering public school kindergarten must be five years of age on or before: (1) July 21 for the 2021-2022 school year; (2) June 26 for the 2022-2023 school year; and (3) June 1 for the 2023-2024 school year and each school year thereafter. Present law generally prohibits any child who will not become five years of age until after December 31 from entering public school during that school year; provided, that school systems having semiannual promotions may admit at the beginning of any semester children who will become five years of age within 60 days following the opening of the semester. As an exception to the general prohibition, if the director of schools finds through evaluation and testing, at the request of the parent or legal guardian, that a child who is five years of age on or before September 30 is sufficiently mature emotionally and academically, then the child may be permitted to enter kindergarten. This bill changes the eligibility age for the exception so that, if the director of schools finds through evaluation and testing, at the request of the parent or legal guardian, that a child is sufficiently mature emotionally and academically, then the child may be permitted to enter kindergarten if the child is five years of age on or before: (1) September 30 for the 2021-2022 school year; (2) August 31 for the 2022-2023 school year; and (3) July 31 for the 2023-2024 school year and each school year thereafter. Notwithstanding the eligibility dates described above in this Bill Summary, this bill authorizes children who participate in an LEA-administered pre-kindergarten program, a pre-kindergarten program administered by a private school, or a Head Start program in a Head Start classroom during the 2021-2022, 2022-2023, or 2023-2024 school years to enter kindergarten in the 2022-2023, 2023-2024, or 2024-2025 school years; provided, that such children are five years of age on or before: (1) August 15, 2022, for the 2022-2023 school year; (2) July 21, 2023, for the 2023-2024 school year; and (3) June 26, 2024, for the 2024-2025 school year.