---
title: HB 706. Quality Basic Education Act; history of Black Americans; provide coursework
collection: bills
id: 2025-2026/hb706
cite_as: HB 706, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.)
canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb706
md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb706.md
text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb706/text
source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/71074
date: 2025-03-06
status: introduced
corpus_version: bills-2026-09-12
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.
up: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026.md
previous: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb705.md
next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb707.md
index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md
omitted: votes and history
omitted_chars: 129
omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb706.md?full=1
bill_number: HB 706
session: 2025-2026 Regular Session
session_slug: 2025-2026
chamber: House
bill_type: bill
status_date: 2025-03-03
last_action: House Second Readers
sponsors:
  - Solomon Adesanya
  - Mekyah McQueen
  - Phil Olaleye
  - Robert Dawson
  - Park Cannon
text_version: Introduced
has_text: true
legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HB706/2025
upstream_id: 1990360
summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5
topic_tags:
  - public education
  - Black history education
  - school curriculum
  - civics education
  - Georgia schools
---

# HB 706. Quality Basic Education Act; history of Black Americans; provide coursework

## Text

House Bill 706
By: Representatives Adesanya of the 43rd, McQueen of the 61st, Olaleye of the 59th, Dawson
of the 65th, and Cannon of the 58th
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
To amend Article 6 of Chapter 2 of Title 20 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated,
relating to the "Quality Basic Education Act," so as to provide for coursework and
educational programs and activities on the history of Black Americans through the history
of the United States and their contributions to American society; to provide for related
matters; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:
SECTION 1.
Article 6 of Chapter 2 of Title 20 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to the
"Quality Basic Education Act," is amended in Part 2, relating to competencies and core
curriculum, by revising subsections (c) and (e) Code Section 20-2-142.1, relating to
coursework in the founding philosophy and principles of the United States of America, as
follows:
"(c) Each local board of education may require all students, as a condition of graduation,
during their ninth through twelfth grade years to complete and pass a separate semester
course covering the following founding philosophy and principles of the United States of
America:
(1) America's founding philosophy, to include at least the following:
(A) As articulated in the Declaration of Independence the foundational idea of the
<del>Creator-endowed</del> <ins>Creator endowed</ins> unalienable rights of the people;
(B) The purpose of limited government, which is to protect the unalienable rights of
the people and to protect the people from violence and fraud;
(C) The structure of government, separation of powers, and checks and balances; and
(D) The rule of law, with frequent and free elections in a representative government
which governs by majority vote within a constitutional framework;
(2) America's founding principles, to include at least the following:
(A) Federalism-government as close to the people as possible, limited federal
government, and strong state and local government;
(B) Freedoms of speech, press, religion, and peaceful assembly guaranteed by the Bill
of Rights;
(C) Rights to private property and freedom of individual enterprise;
(D) The innocence of any crime until proven guilty, with right of habeas corpus, and
no unreasonable searches, seizures, or cruel and unusual punishment;
(E) A virtuous and moral people educated in the philosophy and principles of
government for a free people;
(F) The right to a speedy trial by a jury of peers;
(G) The principles of economy in spending, constitutional limitations on government
power to tax and spend, and prompt payment of public debt;
(H) Economic system of money with intrinsic value;
(I) Equality before the law and due process of law with grand jury indictment for
capital crimes before holding a person to account;
(J) The right of people to keep and bear arms, strong defense capability, supremacy of
civil authority over military;
(K) Peace, commerce, and honest friendship with all nations, entangling alliances with
none;
(L) All laws concise and understandable by the people and not ex post facto laws;
(M) Eternal vigilance by 'We the People'; and
(N) Founding documents, including <ins>the</ins> Declaration of Independence, the United States
Constitution, and the Federalist Papers; and
(3) Transformational movements in American history, to include at least the following:
(A) The antislavery movement;
(B) The Civil Rights movement;
(C) Women's suffrage;
(D) The contributions of immigrants to American society; <del>and
</del> (E) The history of the Native American population; <ins>and
(F) The history of Black Americans, including both the struggles and the triumphs of
Black Americans throughout the history of the United States and the contributions of
Black Americans to American society."
</ins> "(e) This Code section shall apply beginning in school year <del>2017-2018</del> <ins>2025-2026."
</ins> SECTION 2.
Said article is further amended in Part 14, relating to other educational programs, by revising
Code Section 20-2-308, which is reserved, as follows:
"20-2-308.
<ins>Each local education agency, as such term is defined in Code Section 20-2-167.1, shall
require each school it operates to conduct educational programs and activities equal to at
least one class period addressing the history of Black Americans, including both the
struggles and the triumphs of Black Americans throughout the history of the United States
and the contributions of Black Americans to American society. Schools are encouraged
</ins>
<ins>to focus educational programs and activities on the topics provided for in this Code section
during the month of February.</ins> <del>Reserved."
</del> SECTION 3.
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 House bill would add the history of Black Americans to an optional high school civics course and require every public school to hold at least one class period on the topic, ideally in February.

### Plain-language summary

Georgia law already lets local school boards require a semester course on the country's founding philosophy and principles for graduation, covering topics like the Declaration of Independence, the Bill of Rights, and movements such as abolition and civil rights. This bill adds a new topic to that list: the history of Black Americans, covering both struggles and triumphs throughout U.S. history and their contributions to American society. It also updates the course's start date from the 2017-2018 school year to 2025-2026.
Separately, the bill fills in a currently reserved section of Georgia law (O.C.G.A. § 20-2-308) to require every school run by a local education agency to hold at least one class period on the history of Black Americans. Schools are encouraged, but not required, to focus these activities during February.

### What it does

- Adds the history of Black Americans, including struggles, triumphs, and contributions, to the list of topics local boards may include in the optional founding-principles high school course.
- Updates the effective start date of that founding-principles course from the 2017-2018 school year to the 2025-2026 school year.
- Fills in a previously reserved code section to require every school run by a local education agency to hold at least one class period on the history of Black Americans.
- Encourages, without mandating, that schools schedule this class period during February.

### Who it affects

Georgia public school students in grades nine through twelve who take the founding-principles course, all K-12 public schools statewide that must now hold a class period on Black American history, local boards of education, and local education agencies responsible for scheduling and compliance.

### Why it matters

If passed, every Georgia public school would be required to teach at least one class period on the history of Black Americans, a topic not currently mandated statewide, while the existing high school civics course would also formally include this history as one of its covered topics.

### Key provisions

- Section 1 amends O.C.G.A. § 20-2-142.1 to add a new item (F) covering the struggles, triumphs, and contributions of Black Americans to the list of transformational movements taught in the optional founding-principles course.
- Section 1 also updates subsection (e) so the course applies beginning in the 2025-2026 school year instead of 2017-2018.
- Section 2 revises O.C.G.A. § 20-2-308, previously reserved (left blank), to require each school operated by a local education agency to hold at least one class period on Black American history.
- Section 2 encourages, but does not require, schools to hold these programs during February.
- Section 3 repeals any conflicting laws.

## Status

- Status: Introduced (2025-03-03)
- Last action: House Second Readers (2025-03-06)
- Sponsors: Solomon Adesanya, Mekyah McQueen, Phil Olaleye, Robert Dawson, Park Cannon
- Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/71074

> The history, votes, and amendments (129 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb706.md?full=1