---
title: HB 451. Quality Basic Education Act; local boards shall be authorized to provide instruction in hunting safety in grades six through 12; provide
collection: bills
id: 2025-2026/hb451
cite_as: HB 451, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.)
canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb451
md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb451.md
text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb451/text
source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/70323
date: 2026-03-27
status: engrossed
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: 1286
omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb451.md?full=1
bill_number: HB 451
session: 2025-2026 Regular Session
session_slug: 2025-2026
chamber: House
bill_type: bill
status_date: 2025-03-06
last_action: Senate Passed/Adopted By Substitute
sponsors:
- Charles Cannon
- Trey Rhodes
- Chris Erwin
- Matt Dubnik
- John Corbett
- Greg Dolezal
text_version: Comm Sub
has_text: true
legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HB451/2025
upstream_id: 1970365
summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5
topic_tags:
- religious education
- public schools
- school attendance policy
- student character development act
---
# HB 451. Quality Basic Education Act; local boards shall be authorized to provide instruction in hunting safety in grades six through 12; provide
## Text
SENATE SUBSTITUTE TO HB 451
ADOPTED SENATE
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 require criminal records checks; to
provide for immunity; 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) If the released time course is not held on the property of the public school in
which the student is enrolled, 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 (d) 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) A local education agency may permit released time courses to be held on public
school property under a neutral policy of equal access opening such public school
property for use by community groups; and
(7) The student assumes responsibility for any missed school work.
(c) The policy adopted by a local education agency under subsection (b) of this Code
section shall include a requirement for a criminal records check of individuals providing
a released time course to students pursuant to this Code section.
(d) 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.
(e) No local education agency or official or employee thereof shall be liable in any civil
action for injury allegedly arising from a student's transit to or from a released time course
when private transportation is used under a released time course policy adopted under
subsection (b) of this Code section.
(f) While in attendance in a released time course, a student shall not be considered absent
from school.
(g)(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.
A Georgia Senate substitute to HB 451 would require every local school district to let public school students leave campus for religious instruction classes during the school week, without counting them as absent.
### Plain-language summary
This bill, now called the Student Character Development Act, adds a new section to Georgia's compulsory attendance law (O.C.G.A. Title 20). It requires every local school district (called a local education agency) to adopt, by August 1, 2026, a policy letting students be excused from school for at least one hour per school week to attend a 'released time course,' meaning religious moral instruction taught by an outside person or group away from public school control.
Parents must consent in writing, the outside provider must keep attendance records and take responsibility for the student during the course, and transportation is generally the family's job unless the provider agrees to handle it with parental consent. Districts may allow academic credit for these courses if graded on the same secular standards as similar courses, and may host them on school property under equal-access rules. Providers must pass a criminal records check, districts are shielded from liability for private transportation, and the Department of Education must maximize state and federal funding regardless of participation and publish model policies. The law would take effect as soon as the Governor signs it.
### What it does
- Requires every Georgia school district to adopt, by August 1, 2026, a policy letting students leave school for at least one hour a week for outside religious instruction.
- Requires written parental consent, attendance recordkeeping by the outside provider, and provider responsibility for student safety during the course.
- Allows, but does not require, districts to award academic credit for these courses using the same secular grading standards used for similar classes.
- Requires a criminal records check for anyone providing the religious instruction under this policy.
- Protects school districts and employees from civil lawsuits over injuries during private transportation to or from these courses.
- Bars students from being marked absent while attending the religious instruction course.
### Who it affects
Public school students in grades covered by compulsory attendance and their parents, local school districts and their staff who must write and enforce the new policy, outside religious organizations or individuals who teach the courses, and the Georgia Department of Education, which must issue model policies and protect district funding levels.
### Why it matters
Families who want religious instruction during the school week would gain a formal, legally protected option, with districts required to accommodate it and shield themselves from certain liability. Districts must build new policies, verify criminal background checks, and decide whether to grant academic credit for outside religious coursework.
### Key provisions
- Section 1 names the law the 'Student Character Development Act.'
- Section 2 adds new Code Section 20-2-692.5, defining a 'released time course' as religious moral instruction offered independently of public schools.
- Subsection (b) requires districts to adopt an excusal policy by August 1, 2026, covering parental consent, attendance records, transportation responsibility, and provider liability for students during the course.
- Subsection (c) requires a criminal records check for instructors providing released time courses.
- Subsection (d) lets districts award academic credit for these courses using secular grading criteria such as instruction hours, syllabus review, assessment methods, and instructor qualifications.
- Subsection (e) shields districts and employees from civil liability for injuries during private transportation to these courses.
- Subsection (f) states that a student attending a released time course is not counted as absent from school.
- Subsection (g) directs the Department of Education to protect districts' state and federal funding regardless of participation levels and to publish model policies.
## Status
- Status: Engrossed (2025-03-06)
- Last action: Senate Passed/Adopted By Substitute (2026-03-27)
- Sponsors: Charles Cannon, Trey Rhodes, Chris Erwin, Matt Dubnik, John Corbett, Greg Dolezal
- Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/70323
> The history, votes, and amendments (1,286 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb451.md?full=1