Title 20 — Education

(a) The State Board of Education shall establish common minimum facility requirements which each public school facility must meet in order to be certified for use in any component of the educational or recreational program of that school. Such minimum requirements shall include th…

(a) The State Board of Education shall establish a state-wide network of regional educational service agencies for the purposes of: providing shared services designed to improve the effectiveness of educational programs and services to local school systems and state charter schoo…

(a) Each board of control shall appoint and contract with a director who shall be the executive officer of the regional educational service agency. The director shall be responsible for the administration of programs and services approved by the board of control, including the Ge…

(a) The State Board of Education shall adopt a student assessment program consisting of instruments, procedures, and policies necessary to implement the program and shall fund all costs of providing and scoring such instruments, subject to appropriation by the General Assembly. T…

(a) It is the policy of the State of Georgia that the placement or promotion of a student into a grade, class, or program should be based on an assessment of the academic achievement of the student and a determination of the education setting in which the student is most likely t…

(a) No later than July 1, 2003, each local board of education shall develop and adopt a placement and promotion policy in accordance with the criteria established by the State Board of Education as provided in Code Section 20-2-283 and consistent with the Georgia Academic Placeme…

Common minimum facility requirements. Low-wealth capital outlay grants to local school systems; criteria for eligibility. Grant program to incentivize adoption of digital learning; rules and regulations. 20-2-285.1. 20-2-286. ORGANIZATION OF SCHOOLS AND SYSTEMS 20-2-290. REGIONAL…

(a) Beginning with the 2018-2019 school year, the State Board of Education shall establish an innovative assessment pilot program to examine one or more alternate assessment and accountability systems aligned with state academic content standards. The pilot program shall span fro…

(a) The board of education of any local school system is authorized to 454 20-2-290 ELEMENTARY & SECONDARY EDUC. 20-2-291 organize or reorganize the schools and fix the grade levels to be taught at each school in its jurisdiction. (b) The board of education of any local school sys…

(a) In the event a local school system is voluntarily merged with one or more adjoining local school systems under the provisions of Code Section 20-2-60 or Code Sections 20-2-370 through 20-2-372, all local school systems which are party to such voluntary merger shall not be req…

(a) The State Board of Education shall provide sparsity grants to qualified local school systems beyond those funds to which they otherwise are entitled by the provisions of this article and other statutes, subject to appropriation by the General Assembly. To qualify for a sparsit…

(a) As used in this Code section, the term “military student” means a school aged child of a military service member who lives on a military base or off-base in military housing. (b) Beginning in school year 2017-2018, a military student in this state shall be allowed to attend a…

In case of a vacancy on the State Board of Education by death, resignation, removal, or from any cause other than the expiration of such member’s term of office, such vacancy shall be filled in the manner prescribed by Article VIII, Section II, Paragraph I of the Constitution. His…

The State Board of Education shall have authority to provide for implementation of other educational programs not ordinarily coming within the prescribed curricula of the public schools which may or may not require use by local units of administration of additional specially qual…

(a) The board of regents shall annually determine and request of the General Assembly the amount of funds needed for county and regional public libraries. This request shall include, but not be limited to, funds to provide library books and materials, salaries and travel for prof…

(a) The Office of Student Achievement is authorized to continue and administer an honors program for students in the public and private high schools of this state and for resident students who attend a home study program who have manifested exceptional abilities or unique potenti…

The State Board of Education shall have authority to provide for the operation of youth camps, food-processing programs, and young farmer programs. The state board shall annually determine the amount of funds needed to provide the programs described in this Code section and shall…

Editor’s notes. Ga. L. 1987, p. 1169, § 1, effective July 1, 1987, in effect redesignated the former provisions of this Code section, concerning maintenance of records on instructional programs and grants, as Code Section 20-2-321. 20-2-309. Reserved.

Editor’s notes. Ga. L. 1987, p. 1169, § 1, effective July 1, 1987, in effect reserved this Code sec- tion designation for future enactment of provisions of this part. 20-2-310. Student directory information; registering to vote and with selective service; pledge of allegiance. (a…

To render a person eligible to hold the office of State School Superintendent, he or she shall hold a four-year degree from an accredited college or university. No person who has been convicted of any crime involving moral turpitude shall be eligible to hold the office of State S…

(a) As used in this Code section, the term “athletic association” means any association of schools or any other similar organization which acts as an organizing, sanctioning, scheduling, or rule-making body for interscholastic athletic events in which public schools in this state…

(a) As used in this Code section, the term “athletic association” means any association of schools or any other similar organization which acts as an organizing, sanctioning, scheduling, or rule-making body for interscholastic athletic events in which public schools in this state…

[Reserved] Educational television. Environmental education, recycling, and composting awareness. County and regional libraries. Honors program; residential high school program. Youth camps; food-processing and young farmers programs. Reserved. Reserved. Student directory informat…

(a) As used in this Code section, the term: (1) “Immediate family” shall mean a student-athlete’s spouse, child, parent, stepparent, grandparent, grandchild, brother, sister, mother-in-law, father-in-law, sister-in-law, brother-in-law, nephew, niece, aunt, uncle, first cousin, and…

(a) The State Board of Education is authorized to establish the Georgia Virtual School whereby students may enroll in courses via the Internet or in any other manner not involving on-site interaction with a teacher. Any Georgia student who is age 21 or younger shall be eligible t…

(a) This Code section shall be known and may be cited as the “Online Clearing-house Act.” (b) As used in this Code section, the term: (1) “Charter school” means a local charter school, as defined in paragraph (7) of Code Section 20-2-2062, a state chartered special school, as defin…

Upon entering upon the discharge of his official duties, the State School Superintendent shall give bond in the penal sum of $50,000.00 to the state, with some approved surety company which shall be acceptable to the Secretary of State, conditioned that he will truly account for …

The State Board of Education shall maintain, according to the specific data categories defined by the task force created under Code Section 20-2-320, expenditure records for each instructional program and other grant program under this article. As a part of its annual budget reques…

The State Board of Education shall not initiate or cause to be initiated any program, program expansion, activity, or activity expansion related to or contemplated in this article which would result in additional expenditures by the state if such expenditures are not funded or ot…

(a) As used in this Code section, the term: (1) “Acceptable-use policy” means a policy for Internet usage 502 20-2-324 ELEMENTARY & SECONDARY EDUC. 20-2-324 adopted by a local board of education that meets the requirements of this Code section. (2) “Child pornography” means any c…

(a) As used in this Code section, the term: (1) “Health care provider” means a licensed physician or another licensed individual under the supervision of a licensed physician, such as a nurse practitioner, physician assistant, or certified athletic trainer who has received trainin…

(a) This Code section shall be known and may be cited as the “Educating Children of Military Families Act.” (b) The Department of Education is authorized to establish a unique identifier for each student: (1) Whose parent or guardian is an active duty military service member in th…

This part shall be known and may be cited as the “Building Resourceful Individuals to Develop Georgia’s Economy Act.” History. Code 1981, § 20-2-325, enacted by Ga. L. 2010, p. 186, § 1/HB 400. 20-2-326. Definitions.

For purposes of this part, the term: (1) “Articulation” means agreement between a high school and a postsecondary institution regarding the awarding of both secondary and postsecondary credit for a dual enrollment course. 513 20-2-326 (2) “Choice technical high school” means a hi…

(a) Subject to appropriations by the General Assembly, the State Board of Education shall establish a competitive grant program for local school systems to implement school reform measures in selected high schools. The state board shall establish program requirements in accordanc…

The State Board of Education shall promulgate rules and regulations necessary to carry out the provisions of this part. History. Code 1981, § 20-2-329.1, enacted by Ga. L. 2010, p. 186, § 1/HB 400. ARTICLE 7 ADDITIONAL STATE AID Editor’s notes. The part designation for Part 1 of …

The State School Superintendent shall be compensated as provided in Code Sections 45-7-3 and 45-7-4. He shall also be reimbursed for his expenses incurred in connection with the official duties of his office as provided in Code Section 45-7-21. History. Ga. L. 1919, p. 288, § 66;…

(a) A computation shall be shown on each tax bill for school ad valorem taxes which represents the local school system’s share of funds in the “General Appropriations Act” for ad valorem tax relief. The provisions of this Code section shall not apply to tax bills for motor vehicl…

It shall be the duty of the State School Superintendent to visit, as often as possible, the several counties for the purpose of examining into the administration of the school law, counseling with school officers, delivering public addresses, inspecting school operations, and doi…

In the event of a misapplication of any of the funds apportioned to any of the institutions of learning or schools receiving state aid, the State School Superintendent shall at once proceed to recover such funds by the institution of proper proceedings in the courts after demand …

Whenever the citizens of a municipality or independent school district authorized by law to establish and maintain a system of schools by local taxation in whole or in part are operating a system of public schools independent of the county school system and wish to annul their sp…

When the results of an election held under Code Section 20-2-370 are declared and published in favor of repealing such independent school system, making the territory included in the system thereby to become a part of the county school system, such independent or local school sys…

Where any local or independent system is repealed by and in the manner provided in Code Sections 20-2-370 and 20-2-371, the territory formerly included in such independent system shall become and constitute a school district of the county in which it is located and shall enjoy th…

Nothing contained in this article shall apply to a municipal or independent school system of a municipality having a population of 200,000 or more according to the United States decennial census of 1920 or any future such census. History. Ga. L. 1927, p. 160, § 1; Code 1981, § 20…

The county boards of education of the several counties of this state shall have the power and authority, whenever they deem it necessary, to borrow sufficient amounts of money, and no more, to pay for the operation of the public schools of their counties, provided that no county …

In order for any county board of education to borrow money for the purposes stated in Code Section 20-2-390, there shall be passed by the county board a resolution authorizing the money to be borrowed, in which resolution shall be stated the amount of money to be borrowed, the le…

No money shall be borrowed for any longer time than is necessary, and it shall be paid back out of any funds of the county school superintendent that can be legally applied to the payment of the loan. History. Ga. L. 1919, p. 288, § 97; Code 1933, § 32-923.

Any county board of education borrowing money under this part shall borrow it at as low a rate of interest as possible. The county board is authorized to pay the interest on the money out of the public school fund for the county. History. Ga. L. 1919, p. 288, § 98; Code 1933, § 3…

After the resolution provided for in Code Section 20-2-391 has been passed by any county board of education, the chairman of the county board, together with the county school superintendent, shall have the right to execute a note or notes in the name of the county board for any m…

When any money shall be borrowed under this part, it shall be paid over to the county school superintendent and become a part of the public school fund of the county. The superintendent shall be responsible for any money borrowed and received under the authority of this part in t…