---
title: HB 1269. Quality Basic Education Act; content standards for digital literacy instruction; provide
collection: bills
id: 2025-2026/hb1269
cite_as: HB 1269, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.)
canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1269
md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1269.md
text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1269/text
source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/73074
date: 2026-03-03
status: introduced
corpus_version: bills-2026-09-13
license: Public record of the Georgia General Assembly, via LegiScan; see about.md
publisher: Georgia Commons, an independent project of Georgia Civic Data. Not the State of Georgia. Not legal advice.
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omitted: votes and history
omitted_chars: 199
omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1269.md?full=1
bill_number: HB 1269
session: 2025-2026 Regular Session
session_slug: 2025-2026
chamber: House
bill_type: bill
status_date: 2026-02-10
last_action: House Committee Favorably Reported By Substitute
sponsors:
- Will Wade
- Matt Dubnik
- Todd Jones
- Miriam Paris
- Tim Fleming
- Rick Townsend
text_version: Comm Sub
has_text: true
legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HB1269/2025
upstream_id: 2113650
summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5
topic_tags:
- digital literacy
- online safety
- public schools
- artificial intelligence in schools
- curriculum requirements
---
# HB 1269. Quality Basic Education Act; content standards for digital literacy instruction; provide
## Text
The House Committee on Education offers the following substitute to HB 1269:
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
To amend Part 2 of Article 6 of Chapter 2 of Title 20 of the Official Code of Georgia
Annotated, relating to competencies and core curriculum under the "Quality Basic Education
Act," so as to provide for content standards for digital literacy instruction; to require students
in kindergarten through twelfth grade to receive grade level appropriate instruction in digital
literacy; to require the Department of Education to develop and publish model programs; to
publish an annual report assessing the reach and impact of online safety education efforts;
to provide for related matters; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:
SECTION 1.
Part 2 of Article 6 of Chapter 2 of Title 20 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated,
relating to competencies and core curriculum under the "Quality Basic Education Act," is
amended by revising Code Section 20-2-149, relating to programs for educating students
regarding online internet safety, as follows:
"20-2-149.
(a) The State Board of Education shall adopt grade level appropriate content standards for
instruction in digital literacy to support digital citizenship competencies through critical
thinking, responsible technology use, and independent learning across academic subjects
for students in kindergarten through grade 12. Such content standards shall address, at a
minimum:
(1) Online safety and digital citizenship;
(2) Responsible and effective internet use;
(3) Evaluation of digital information and sources, including, but not limited to,
information using or generated by artificial intelligence;
(4) Digital communication and collaboration;
(5) Foundational computer and device skills;
(6) Productivity and organizational tools; and
(7) Basic data and information management skills.
(b) Beginning with the 2027-2028 school year and each school year thereafter, each local
board of education and other public school governing body shall provide grade level
appropriate instruction in digital literacy to students in kindergarten through grade 12.
Such instruction shall be based on the content standards prescribed pursuant to
subsection (a) of this Code section and may utilize the model programs developed by the
Department of Education pursuant to subsection (c) of this Code section. Such instruction
may be provided within the framework of existing coursework offered by a local school
system.
(a)(c)(1) The Department of Education shall develop model programs for educating
students regarding digital literacy and online safety while using the internet, taking into
consideration educational materials on this topic developed by other states as well as any
other materials suggested by education experts, child psychologists, and technology
companies that promote child digital literacy and online safety issues.
(2) The model programs provided for in this subsection shall include one or more model
programs for students in grades six through kindergarten through grade 12 which:
(A) Shall include instruction regarding:
(i) The social, emotional, and physical effects of social media on users;
(ii) The effects of social media on the mental health of users, particularly teenagers;
(iii) The distribution of disinformation and misinformation on social media;
(iv) How social media influences thoughts and behaviors;
(v) The permanency and risks of sharing materials online;
(vi) The dangers of viewing material harmful to minors;
(vii) Age verification procedures on websites and social media;
(viii) Responsible and discerning use of artificial intelligence and generative artificial
intelligence;
(ix) How to maintain personal security and identify cyberbullying, predatory
behavior, and human trafficking on the internet and social media; and
(vii)(x) How to report suspicious behavior encountered on the internet and social
media to appropriate persons and authorities; and
(xi) How to be a competent and discerning digital citizen; and
(B) May include information regarding the benefits of social media use, such as
supporting career readiness for future academic or employment opportunities, sharing
information with familiar family and friends, and safely connecting with other users
with similar interests.
(3) The Department of Education shall periodically update the model programs provided
for in this subsection to reflect changes in internet and social media use, emergent
technologies, social and psychological research, and information concerning new threats
to teenagers and young adults using social media platforms and other online
communication technologies.
(4) The Department of Education shall publish on its website information relating to the
digital literacy content standards and digital literacy and online safety model programs
provided for in this Code section, including recommended curricula and instructional
materials as updated periodically as provided in this subsection Code section. The
Department of Education shall provide technical assistance in addition to such model
programs and recommended curricula and instructional materials to aid any local board
of education that may elect to incorporate incorporates one or more components of
internet and social media digital literacy and online safety into its instructional program.
(d) By December 1 each year, the Department of Education shall prepare a report
assessing the reach and impact of online safety education efforts provided for in this Code
section. Such report shall be submitted to the chairpersons of the House Committee on
Education and the Senate Education and Youth Committee.
(b)(e) Each local board of education may incorporate into its instructional program a
component on online internet safety, including social media safety, to be taught on a
schedule as determined by the local board of education."
SECTION 2.
All laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are repealed.
## Summaries written by Georgia Commons
The following was written by claude-sonnet-5 from the text above and is not part of the bill. Quote the text, not the summary.
HB 1269 would require Georgia public schools to teach digital literacy to every student from kindergarten through 12th grade, starting in the 2027-2028 school year, and expand the state's online safety curriculum requirements.
### Plain-language summary
Georgia law currently lets local school boards choose whether to teach students about online safety, and the state's model programs on social media risks only apply starting in sixth grade. This bill changes both of those things. It directs the State Board of Education to adopt statewide content standards for digital literacy covering topics like online safety, evaluating information (including AI-generated content), digital communication, basic computer skills, and data management. Starting in the 2027-2028 school year, every local school board and public school governing body would have to provide grade-appropriate digital literacy instruction based on those standards for all students in kindergarten through 12th grade.
The bill also expands the Department of Education's existing model programs on internet and social media safety to reach kindergarten instead of just sixth grade, and adds new required topics such as age verification, dangers of harmful online material, and responsible use of artificial intelligence. It requires the department to publish an annual report by December 1 on the reach and impact of online safety education, submitted to the legislature's education committees.
### What it does
- Requires the State Board of Education to adopt statewide content standards for digital literacy instruction covering online safety, evaluating information, digital communication, and basic tech skills for grades K-12.
- Requires local school boards to provide grade-appropriate digital literacy instruction to all K-12 students starting in the 2027-2028 school year, using state model programs if they choose.
- Expands the Department of Education's existing online safety model programs to cover kindergarten through 12th grade instead of just sixth through 12th grade.
- Adds new required topics to the model programs, including age verification on websites, dangers of material harmful to minors, and responsible use of artificial intelligence.
- Requires the Department of Education to publish an annual report by December 1 assessing the reach and impact of online safety education, submitted to House and Senate education committees.
- Directs the Department of Education to provide technical assistance to local boards that incorporate digital literacy and online safety into their instructional programs.
### Who it affects
Georgia public school students in kindergarten through 12th grade, local school boards and public school governing bodies that must design and deliver the new instruction, the State Board of Education and Department of Education, which must set standards and build model curricula, and the legislature's education committees, which receive the annual report.
### Why it matters
Students as young as kindergarten would receive formal instruction on topics like online safety, cyberbullying, and AI-generated misinformation, areas previously addressed mainly starting in sixth grade or left to a school board's discretion. Local districts would face a new statewide instructional mandate rather than an optional one.
### Key provisions
- Section 1 revises O.C.G.A. ยง 20-2-149 by adding subsection (a), directing the State Board of Education to adopt content standards for digital literacy covering seven listed topic areas for grades K-12.
- New subsection (b) requires local boards to provide digital literacy instruction based on those standards beginning with the 2027-2028 school year, which may be folded into existing coursework.
- The revised model-program provisions expand coverage from grades six through twelve to kindergarten through grade 12 and add topics such as age verification, harmful material dangers, and responsible AI use.
- The Department of Education must periodically update model programs and publish information on its website, including curricula and instructional materials, and provide technical assistance to local boards.
- New subsection (d) requires an annual report by December 1 on the reach and impact of online safety education, submitted to the House Committee on Education and the Senate Education and Youth Committee.
- The bill preserves language allowing local boards to independently add an online and social media safety component on a schedule they set.
- Section 2 repeals any conflicting laws.
## Status
- Status: Introduced (2026-02-10)
- Last action: House Committee Favorably Reported By Substitute (2026-03-03)
- Sponsors: Will Wade, Matt Dubnik, Todd Jones, Miriam Paris, Tim Fleming, Rick Townsend
- Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/73074
> The history, votes, and amendments (199 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1269.md?full=1