Tennessee

1. Initial evaluation timeline

60 calendar days from the LEA’s receipt of parental consent - and in Tennessee the 60 days covers boththe evaluation and the eligibility determination. SBE Rule 0520-01-09-.05(1)(f): “Eligibility determinations shall be completed within sixty (60) calendar days of receipt of parental consent for initial evaluation.” TDOE’s timeline guidance states the same rule. No summer or holiday tolling appears. The federal exceptions in 34 C.F.R. § 300.301(d) still apply when a parent repeatedly fails or refuses to produce the child, or when the child transfers districts during the evaluation and the receiving district meets the coordination, progress, and agreed-completion-date conditions. Companion child-find hook: “A Parent may request that the LEA conduct a full and individualized evaluation,” § .05(1)(e). Sources: Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 0520-01-09-.05; TDOE - Timelines in Special Education (PDF, rev. June 2023); 34 C.F.R. § 300.301.

2. Eligibility-to-IEP timeline

Tennessee sets no separate state deadline for writing the IEP after eligibility; TDOE applies the federal 30-calendar-day rule - “An LEA must hold an initial meeting to develop an IEP within 30 calendar days of determining that the student needs special education and related services,” citing 34 C.F.R. § 300.323(c)(1). But Tennessee stacks three state meeting/notice rules on top of it, and they are the ones districts miss:

• IEP team convened within 10 school days of a written request from any team member (including the parent), or on a mutually agreed date. SBE Rule 0520-01-09-.12(4): “Upon written request of any member, the IEP team shall be convened within ten (10) school days or on a mutually agreed upon date and time.” TDOE expressly treats “failure to convene an IEP team meeting within 10 days of a written request” as an investigable procedural violation.

• 10 calendar days’ notice before the IEP meeting. SBE Rule 0520-01-09-.15(1).

• Draft IEP to the parent at least 48 hours before the meeting, if the LEA prepares one. SBE Rule 0520-01-09-.15(2): “If an LEA creates a draft IEP prior to an IEP meeting, a copy of the draft IEP shall be provided to the Parent at least forty-eight (48) hours prior to the scheduled meeting time.” (Also: prior written notice must be given “within at least ten (10) school days” before the LEA proposes or refuses, § .15(4); 24 hours’ notice before a manifestation determination review, § .15(3).)

Sources: TDOE - Timelines in Special Education (PDF); Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 0520-01-09-.12 (Cornell LII); Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 0520-01-09-.15 (Cornell LII); TDOE - Administrative Complaint Manual (Sept. 2025), Q16.