---
title: HB 1352. Student Character Development Act; enact
collection: bills
id: 2025-2026/hb1352
cite_as: HB 1352, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.)
canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1352
md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1352.md
text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1352/text
source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/73296
date: 2026-02-19
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: 129
omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1352.md?full=1
bill_number: HB 1352
session: 2025-2026 Regular Session
session_slug: 2025-2026
chamber: House
bill_type: bill
status_date: 2026-02-17
last_action: House Second Readers
sponsors:
- Scott Hilton
- Todd Jones
- Johnny Chastain
- Matthew Gambill
- James Burchett
text_version: Introduced
has_text: true
legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HB1352/2025
upstream_id: 2118537
summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5
topic_tags:
- religious education in schools
- school attendance policy
- academic credit rules
- local school district policy
- Georgia education law
---
# HB 1352. Student Character Development Act; enact
## Text
House Bill 1352
By: Representatives Hilton of the 48th, Jones of the 25th, Chastain of the 7th, Gambill of the
15th, and Burchett of the 176th
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
To amend Subpart 2 of Part 1 of Article 16 of Chapter 2 of Title 20 of the Official Code of
Georgia Annotated, relating to compulsory attendance, so as to provide for public school
students to be permitted to attend courses in religious moral instruction provided by an
individual or organization independently of a public school, subject to certain conditions; to
provide for such conditions; to provide for students to receive academic credit for such
courses; to require local education agencies to adopt certain policies; to prohibit students who
participate in such courses from being counted as absent from school; to provide for
responsibilities of the Department of Education; to provide for definitions; to provide for a
short title; to provide for related matters; to provide for an effective date; to repeal conflicting
laws; and for other purposes.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:
SECTION 1.
This Act shall be known and may be cited as the "Student Character Development Act."
SECTION 2.
Subpart 2 of Part 1 of Article 16 of Chapter 2 of Title 20 of the Official Code of Georgia
Annotated, relating to compulsory attendance, is amended by adding a new Code section to
read as follows:
"20-2-692.5.
(a) As used in this Code section, the term:
(1) 'Local education agency' shall have the same meaning as in Code Section 20-2-167.1.
(2) 'Released time course' means a course in religious moral instruction provided by an
individual or organization independently of a public school.
(b) By August 1, 2026, each local education agency shall adopt a policy that permits all
students to be excused from school to attend a released time course for at least one hour per
school week. Such policy shall require that:
(1) The student's parent or legal guardian gives written consent for the student to attend
the released time course;
(2) The individual or organization providing the released time course maintains
attendance records and makes such records available to the officials of the school in
which the student is enrolled;
(3)(A) Transportation to and from the location of the released time course, including
transportation for students with disabilities, is the responsibility of the student or his or
her parent or legal guardian; and
(B) If the individual or organization providing the released time course is to provide
student transportation from school, appropriate consent shall be provided by the
student's parent or legal guardian;
(4) The individual or organization providing the released time course verifies to the local
education agency that such individual or organization assumes full responsibility for the
student at all times such student is participating in a released time course activity,
including, but not limited to, transportation provided by such individual or organization
to and from such activity;
(5) Except as necessary to award academic credit for the completion of a released time
course, as provided for in subsection (c) of this Code section, no local education agency
funds except de minimis administrative costs are expended in providing or
accommodating the released time course;
(6) Released time courses are not to be held on public school property unless permitted
under a neutral policy of equal access opening such school property for use by
community groups; and
(7) The student assumes responsibility for any missed school work.
(c) A local education agency may adopt a policy that provides for academic credit to be
awarded for the completion of a released time course. In determining the academic credit
to award for completion of such course, the local education agency shall evaluate the
course based exclusively on secular criteria that are substantially the same criteria used to
evaluate similar courses for purposes of determining the academic credit to award for such
courses. The decision to award academic credit for a released time course shall be neutral
to, and shall not involve any test for, religious content or denominational affiliation. Such
secular criteria may include the following:
(1) The number of hours of classroom instruction time;
(2) A review of the released time course syllabus that reflects released time course
requirements and materials used;
(3) The methods of assessment used in the released time course; and
(4) The qualifications of the released time course instructor.
(d) While in attendance in a released time course, a student shall not be considered absent
from school.
(e)(1) The Department of Education is authorized and directed to take all steps
reasonably necessary to maximize the amounts of state and federal funding local
education agencies receive regardless of the number of students who participate in a
released time course.
(2) The Department of Education shall promulgate model policies and procedures
consistent with this Code section to be available for use by local education agencies."
SECTION 3.
This Act shall become effective upon its approval by the Governor or upon its becoming law
without such approval.
SECTION 4.
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.
House Bill 1352 would let Georgia public school students leave campus for religious moral instruction classes for at least one hour a week, with local school districts required to adopt policies allowing it by August 1, 2026.
### Plain-language summary
Georgia law currently does not set statewide rules for so-called released time programs, where students leave public school to take religious or moral instruction courses run by outside individuals or organizations. This bill, called the Student Character Development Act, requires every local school district (local education agency) to adopt a policy by August 1, 2026 letting students attend these released time courses for at least one hour per school week.
The policy must require parental consent, attendance record-sharing with the school, and that the outside organization handle transportation and take full responsibility for students during the course. Courses generally cannot be held on school property unless the district already opens its facilities to community groups on equal terms. Districts may choose to award academic credit for completed courses, but only using secular, non-religious criteria similar to those used for other courses. Students attending these courses cannot be marked absent, and the Department of Education must help districts avoid losing state or federal funding over student participation, and must publish model policies. The law would take effect as soon as the Governor signs it.
### What it does
- Requires every Georgia local school district to adopt a policy by August 1, 2026 allowing students to attend outside religious moral instruction (released time) courses at least one hour per school week.
- Requires parental written consent, attendance record sharing with the school, and outside-organization responsibility for transportation and student safety during the course.
- Bars released time courses from being held on school property unless the district already opens facilities to community groups under a neutral equal-access policy.
- Allows but does not require districts to award academic credit for completed released time courses, evaluated only on secular criteria such as instruction hours, syllabus, assessment methods, and instructor qualifications.
- Prohibits counting a student as absent while attending a released time course and puts the responsibility for missed schoolwork on the student.
- Directs the Department of Education to protect districts' state and federal funding levels regardless of participation and to publish model policies for districts to use.
### Who it affects
Public school students and their parents or guardians, local school districts and their boards, outside individuals or organizations offering religious moral instruction courses, and the Georgia Department of Education, which must issue model policies and safeguard school funding.
### Why it matters
Students could regularly leave school for religious instruction without being marked absent or losing school funding for their district, and some could earn academic credit for it. Districts would face a new mandate to create these policies, and outside organizations would take on responsibility for student safety and transportation during the courses.
### Key provisions
- Section 2 adds new Code Section 20-2-692.5, requiring local education agencies to adopt a released time policy by August 1, 2026 covering at least one hour per school week.
- Subsection (b) sets conditions including parental consent, attendance recordkeeping, transportation responsibility, and a cap on local funds spent beyond academic credit purposes.
- Subsection (b)(6) restricts released time courses from being held on public school property except under a neutral equal-access policy already open to community groups.
- Subsection (c) allows optional academic credit for released time courses, judged only by secular criteria such as instruction hours, syllabus, assessment, and instructor qualifications.
- Subsection (d) specifies that students attending a released time course are not considered absent from school.
- Subsection (e) directs the Department of Education to protect state and federal funding levels for participating districts and to create model policies and procedures.
- Section 3 makes the Act effective immediately upon the Governor's signature or upon becoming law without signature.
## Status
- Status: Introduced (2026-02-17)
- Last action: House Second Readers (2026-02-19)
- Sponsors: Scott Hilton, Todd Jones, Johnny Chastain, Matthew Gambill, James Burchett
- Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/73296
> The history, votes, and amendments (129 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1352.md?full=1