(a) No driver shall operate a school bus as defined by § 55-8-101 anywhere in this state while using a portable electronic device:

Attorney's Note

Under the Tennessee Code, punishments for crimes depend on the classification. In the case of this section:
ClassPrisonFine
class A misdemeanorup to 11 monthsup to $2,500
For details, see Tenn. Code § 40-35-111

Terms Used In Tennessee Code 55-8-192

  • Bus: means every motor vehicle designed for carrying more than ten (10) passengers and used for the transportation of persons, and every motor vehicle, other than a taxicab, designed and used for the transportation of persons for compensation. See Tennessee Code 55-8-101
  • Department: means the department of safety. See Tennessee Code 55-8-101
  • Driver: means :
    (A) For purposes of a conventionally operated vehicle, every person who drives or is in actual physical control of a vehicle. See Tennessee Code 55-8-101
  • Person: means a natural person, firm, copartnership, association, corporation, or an engaged ADS. See Tennessee Code 55-8-101
  • School bus: means every motor vehicle owned by a public or governmental agency and operated for the transportation of children to or from school or privately owned and operated for compensation for the transportation of children to or from school. See Tennessee Code 55-8-101
  • 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
  • Vehicle: means every device in, upon or by which any person or property is or may be transported or drawn upon a highway, excepting devices used exclusively upon stationary rails or tracks. See Tennessee Code 55-8-101
(1) While the vehicle is in motion and while the vehicle is transporting one (1) or more children; or
(2) When the vehicle is stopped for the purposes of loading or unloading one (1) or more children from the vehicle.
(b) As used in this section, “portable electronic device” means any:

(1) Mobile, cellular, analog, wireless, or digital telephone;
(2) Personal digital assistant;
(3) Hand-held device with mobile data access;
(4) Laptop computer;
(5) Pager;
(6) Broadband personal communication device;
(7) Two-way messaging device;
(8) Electronic game;
(9) Camera;
(10) Portable computing device;
(11) Global positioning system, if the driver is using at least one (1) hand to hold the device or to enter data into the device while the school bus is in motion; or
(12) Electronic device used to input, write, send, receive, read, or view text or media for present or future communication.
(c) This section shall not apply to:

(1) Two-way radio communications, or any device used in a similar manner as two-way radio communications, made to and from a central dispatch, school transportation department, or its equivalent; or
(2) The use of a device capable of voice communication to report an emergency to the 911 system, a law enforcement agency, fire department, or emergency medical provider.
(d) A violation of this section is a Class A misdemeanor, punishable by a minimum period of confinement of not less than thirty (30) days; a minimum fine of not less than one thousand dollars ($1,000); and the court shall order that a person convicted of violating this section is permanently prohibited from operating a school bus as defined by § 55-8-101 in this state.
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