(a) Any county or municipality is authorized to establish school safety zones.

Terms Used In Tennessee Code 49-2-116

  • 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
  • Minor: means any person who has not attained eighteen (18) years of age. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
  • Property: includes both personal and real property. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
  • 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
(b) As used in this section, unless the content otherwise requires:

(1) “School” means any public or private elementary, secondary school or state college of applied technology; and
(2) “School property” means all property used for school purposes, including, but not limited to, school playgrounds.
(c) A school safety zone is the territory extending five hundred feet (500′) from school property or within the area bounded by a divided federal highway, whichever is less.
(d) The director of schools, with the approval of the board of education, may develop a method of marking school safety zones, including the use of signs. Signs or other markings shall be located in a visible manner on or near each school indicating that such area is a school safety zone, that such zone extends five hundred feet (500′) from school property or within the area bounded by a divided federal highway, whichever is less, and that the delivery or sale of a controlled substance or controlled substance analogue to a minor in the school safety zone may subject the offender to an enhanced punishment.