HB200: HB200 State Board of Education; establish a three-year pilot immersive writing program for eligible public elementary schools; provide

This bill changes several parts of Georgia's laws on public school facilities and programs. It adds detailed design rules for playgrounds at any new elementary school whose construction starts on or after July 1, 2027, requiring features like shade coverage, wheelchair-accessible equipment, sensory panels, and communication boards so children of all abilities can use them. The bill also directs the State Board of Education to run a three-year pilot program giving grants, up to $2 million per year starting in the 2026-2027 school year, to public elementary schools that want to build immersive writing programs for students in grades two through five. Schools apply by January 1, 2026, and the Department of Education must report yearly on results starting June 1, 2027. That program automatically ends July 1, 2029. Separately, the bill encourages local school systems to let patriotic youth groups such as the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts use school facilities, and requires a written explanation if a school denies such a group access. The changes take effect July 1, 2025.

• Requires any new elementary school whose construction starts on or after July 1, 2027 to include a playground meeting detailed accessibility, size, shading, and equipment standards.
• Creates a three-year pilot grant program, funded up to $2 million per year starting in the 2026-2027 school year, for public elementary schools to build immersive writing programs for grades two through five.
• Sets an application deadline of January 1, 2026 for schools to apply to the pilot writing program and requires annual state reports on its results starting June 1, 2027.
• Automatically repeals the pilot writing program's authorizing law on July 1, 2029 unless the General Assembly acts again.
• Encourages local school systems that use state funds for their programs to allow patriotic youth groups, such as the Boy Scouts of America and Girl Scouts of the USA, to use school facilities, and requires a written reason if access is denied.

The bill affects local school districts and the State Board of Education, which must set playground and grant program rules; elementary school students in grades two through five and their teachers; school building planners and architects designing new elementary schools; and youth groups like the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts that seek access to school facilities.

New elementary schools built after mid-2027 would need to provide playgrounds usable by children with a range of physical and sensory needs, and some elementary schools could receive new state money to develop writing programs for younger students, while schools would face more paperwork if they deny facility access to groups like scouting organizations.

• Section 1 amends O.C.G.A. § 20-2-261 to require new elementary schools built on or after July 1, 2027 to include a playground of at least 10,000 square feet, fully fenced, with at least 20 percent shaded area.
• Section 1 also requires at least 80 percent of the playground to use unitary surfacing (such as turf or rubber) and lists specific accessible equipment, including a communication board, ASL or Braille panel, adaptive swings, and wheelchair-accessible structures.
• Section 2 adds a new Code Section 20-2-335 creating a State Board of Education pilot immersive writing program for grades two through five, funded through state appropriations up to $2 million per year for up to three school years starting 2026-2027.
• Section 2 requires eligible schools to apply by January 1, 2026 and requires the Department of Education to develop the application process by October 1, 2025 and report assessments to the State Board by June 1, 2027 and annually after that.
• Section 2 provides that the pilot program law stands automatically repealed on July 1, 2029.
• Section 3 revises O.C.G.A. § 20-2-12 to define 'patriotic society' and encourage local school systems using state funds to let such groups use school facilities, requiring written reasons if access is denied.
• Section 4 sets the effective date of the Act as July 1, 2025.

1. 2026-01-12Senate Recommitted (Senate)
2. 2026-01-12Senate Taken from Table (Senate)
3. 2025-04-02Senate Tabled (Senate)
4. 2025-03-27Senate Read Second Time (Senate)
5. 2025-03-27Senate Committee Favorably Reported By Substitute (Senate)
6. 2025-03-06Senate Read and Referred (Senate)
7. 2025-03-04House Passed/Adopted By Substitute (House)
8. 2025-03-04House Third Readers (House)

• Debra Bazemore (D, HD-069)Primary sponsor
• Bethany Ballard (R, HD-147)
• Carolyn Hugley (D, HD-141)
• Tanya Miller (D, HD-062)
• Todd Jones (R, HD-025)
• Matt Dubnik (R, HD-029)
• John Kennedy (R, SD-018)

1. PassedHouse voteMarch 4, 2025

   167 yea, 2 nay (7 not voting, 4 absent)

   Passage: House Vote #175

• school playgrounds
• elementary education funding
• literacy programs
• school facility access
• accessibility standards