Georgia CommonsHouse · Introduced · 2025-2026 Regular Session
HB 1244: Education; duty-free lunch period and planning period requirements; provisions
Last action March 3, 2026 · House Committee Favorably Reported By Substitute
A Georgia House bill would tighten when schools can require teachers to give up their duty-free lunch or planning period, limiting it to defined extreme emergencies, and would bar districts from waiving these protections.
The summaries below were written by an AI model (claude-sonnet-5) from the text of the bill and are not part of it. Quote the text, not the summary. The stored text is the Comm Sub version, the latest the General Assembly's website lists.
In plain language
Georgia law already gives most teachers a duty-free lunch period and a daily planning period, but current law lets schools require teachers to give those up during 'extenuating circumstances,' a vague standard. This bill rewrites O.C.G.A. § 20-2-218 to replace that standard with a narrow definition of 'extreme emergency,' covering things like severe weather, armed threats, transportation breakdowns, or a teacher's illness or death. A simple shortage of substitute teachers would no longer count. Outside of an actual extreme emergency, the bill says districts may only 'request,' not require, that a teacher cover lunch or planning periods. It also adds language making these lunch and planning period protections immune from waiver under several existing Georgia school flexibility laws, including strategic waivers systems, charter systems, charter schools, and completion special schools. The changes would take effect July 1, 2026, starting with the 2026-2027 school year.
What the bill does
- Replaces the current 'extenuating circumstances' standard with a specific legal definition of 'extreme emergency' before a teacher can be required to give up a duty-free lunch or planning period.
- Excludes a simple lack of an available substitute teacher from counting as an extreme emergency.
- Limits mandatory supervision duty during a true extreme emergency to no more than one day per school week, same as current law, but now under the tighter emergency definition.
- Adds a new provision letting local school districts only 'request,' not require, that teachers cover lunch or planning periods in non-emergency situations.
- Makes the duty-free lunch and planning period requirements immune from waiver under several state school flexibility programs, including strategic waivers systems, charter systems, charter schools, and completion special schools.
- Sets the law to take effect July 1, 2026, applying starting with the 2026-2027 school year.
Who it affects
Public school teachers in kindergarten through 12th grade, especially those in grades kindergarten through five who receive duty-free lunch periods, along with local school district administrators and superintendents who assign teacher duties, and schools operating under strategic waivers, charter, or completion special school flexibility agreements.
Why it matters
Teachers would have stronger day-to-day protection against being pulled from lunch or planning time, since districts could no longer cite loose 'extenuating circumstances' or substitute shortages, only a narrowly defined emergency. Districts operating under waiver programs would lose the ability to waive these specific protections.
Key provisions
- Section 1 revises O.C.G.A. § 20-2-218(a) to add a definition of 'extreme emergency' covering severe weather, mechanical or electrical failure, armed threats, transportation disruptions, or a teacher's illness or death, and specifies that a substitute teacher shortage alone does not qualify.
- Section 1 revises subsection (e) so mandatory supervision during lunch or planning periods is allowed only 'due to an extreme emergency,' removing the prior 'unforeseen and unavoidable personnel shortage' basis, still capped at one day per school week.
- Section 1 adds new subsection (f) allowing districts to only request, not require, teacher supervision of lunch or planning periods outside of an extreme emergency.
- Section 1 adds new subsection (i) exempting this Code section from waiver under Code Sections 20-2-82, 20-2-2063.2, 20-2-2065, 20-2-2096.3, and 20-2-244, which cover strategic waivers systems, charter systems, charter schools, and completion special schools.
- Section 2 sets the effective date as July 1, 2026, applying to school years beginning with 2026-2027.
- Section 3 repeals conflicting laws.
From the bill
“'Extreme emergency' means severe weather conditions, interference caused by electrical or mechanical failure at a school, a disruption caused by an armed attack or threat directed at a school, a disruption of transportation systems resulting in significant changes in the availability of teachers, or the illness or death of one or more teachers.”
“The mere lack of an available substitute teacher shall not constitute an extreme emergency.”
Discussed in meetings (5)
The House and Senate meetings that took this bill up, from their machine transcripts. Each account was written by Georgia Commons with AI and is not part of the record; the video is what was said.
House Education Committee, March 2, 2026
From 0:39:15 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel
Summary by Georgia Commons: The sponsor said the substitute would prevent districts from waiving teacher planning-time protections through flexibility contracts, while allowing emergency exceptions and alternative arrangements for extreme disruptions. Citing a PAGE study, the sponsor said 48% of teachers felt burned out and argued that protected time would help retain teachers. Asked who would supervise lunch, the sponsor said teachers could volunteer or administrators could handle supervision. Members questioned a provision requiring hourly compensation when teachers agreed to supervise students during protected time. The sponsor expected existing salary and reporting systems to handle payment but had not consulted the education appropriations chair. Members raised concerns about whether local or state funds would pay, how hours would be tracked, and how the requirement would work. A member offered an amendment removing the compensation requirement, which the sponsor accepted. Legislative counsel supplied related title and numbering changes. The committee approved both the amendment and the substitute as amended by voice votes.
House Rules Committee, March 4, 2026
From 1:14:00 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel
Summary by Georgia Commons: The sponsor said HB 1244 would remove school districts' ability to waive teacher planning periods and add a duty-free lunch period. The sponsor described the bill as bipartisan. No questions or decision followed.
Status timeline
- House Committee Favorably Reported By Substitute (House)
- House Second Readers (House)
- House First Readers (House)
- House Hopper (House)
Sponsors
- Akbar Ali (D, HD-106)
- Bethany Ballard (R, HD-147)
- Lydia Glaize (D, HD-67)
- Gerald Greene (R, HD-154)
- Doreen Carter (D, HD-93)
- Karen Lupton (D, HD-83)
Topics
- teacher planning time
- school lunch policy
- education law
- teacher working conditions
- school waivers