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GA HB1226

Bill

Status

Introduced

2/9/2024

Primary Sponsor

Scott Hilton

Click for details

Origin

House of Representatives

2023-2024 Regular Session

AI Summary

  • Local education agencies must adopt policies by August 1, 2024, allowing public school students to be excused for at least one hour per school week to attend off-campus religious moral instruction courses provided by independent persons or organizations
  • Written parental or guardian consent is required for participation, and the sponsoring organization must maintain attendance records, assume full responsibility for students during the course, and provide or arrange transportation at no cost to the school district
  • Students attending released time courses shall not be counted as absent from school, and students are responsible for making up any missed school work
  • Local education agencies may optionally award academic credit for released time courses, evaluated using purely secular criteria including classroom instruction hours, syllabus review, assessment methods, and instructor qualifications comparable to those of district-employed teachers
  • No local education agency funds beyond de minimis administrative costs may be spent on released time courses, and courses may not be held on public school property unless under a neutral equal-access policy for community groups

Legislative Description

Georgia Released Time Education Act; enact

Last Action

House Second Readers

2/13/2024

Committee Referrals

Education2/12/2024

Full Bill Text

No bill text available