---
title: HB 908. Education; prohibit a public school, private school, or home school program from requiring a child who has completed all requirements for a high school diploma to take or attend classes for any additional course
collection: bills
id: 2025-2026/hb908
cite_as: HB 908, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.)
canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb908
md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb908.md
text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb908/text
source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/71991
date: 2026-01-12
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.
up: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026.md
previous: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb907.md
next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb909.md
index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md
omitted: votes and history
omitted_chars: 129
omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb908.md?full=1
bill_number: HB 908
session: 2025-2026 Regular Session
session_slug: 2025-2026
chamber: House
bill_type: bill
status_date: 2025-04-02
last_action: House Second Readers
sponsors:
- Michael Smith
text_version: Introduced
has_text: true
legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HB908/2025
upstream_id: 2019476
summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5
topic_tags:
- education
- high school graduation
- compulsory attendance
- school policy
---
# HB 908. Education; prohibit a public school, private school, or home school program from requiring a child who has completed all requirements for a high school diploma to take or attend classes for any additional course
## Text
House Bill 908
By: Representative Smith of the 41st
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 in elementary and secondary
education, so as to prohibit a public school, private school, or home school program from
requiring a child who has successfully completed all requirements for a high school diploma
to take or attend classes for any additional course; to provide for related matters; to repeal
conflicting laws; and for other purposes.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:
SECTION 1.
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 in elementary and secondary education, is
amended in Code Section 20-2-690.1, relating to mandatory education for children between
ages six and 16, by revising subsection (a) as follows:
"(a)(1) Except as otherwise provided in paragraph (2) of this subsection, mandatory
Mandatory attendance in a public school, private school, or home school program shall
be required for children between their sixth and sixteenth birthdays.
(2) Mandatory Such mandatory attendance shall not be required where the child has for
children between their sixth and sixteenth birthdays who have successfully completed all
requirements for a high school diploma. No child who is in his or her final semester of
high school shall be required to take or attend classes for any course or courses beyond
the minimum coursework necessary for a high school diploma."
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.
A Georgia House bill would stop public, private, and home school programs from requiring a student who has already met all high school diploma requirements to keep taking or attending additional classes.
### Plain-language summary
Under current Georgia law, children between ages six and 16 must attend a public school, private school, or home school program, though attendance is not required once a child has completed all requirements for a high school diploma. This bill amends that law (O.C.G.A. § 20-2-690.1) to add a new protection for students in their final semester of high school.
The bill states that no child in their final semester of high school can be required to take or attend classes for any course beyond the minimum coursework needed to earn a diploma. It also reorganizes the existing exemption from mandatory attendance so it clearly applies once a student has finished all diploma requirements. The bill does not set an effective date beyond the standard process, and repeals any conflicting laws.
### What it does
- Amends Georgia's compulsory attendance law (O.C.G.A. § 20-2-690.1) covering children ages six to 16.
- Bars public schools, private schools, and home school programs from requiring a student in their final semester of high school to take classes beyond the minimum needed for a diploma.
- Restructures the existing exemption from mandatory attendance so it clearly covers children who have completed all diploma requirements.
- Repeals any other Georgia laws that conflict with this new rule.
### Who it affects
High school seniors in their final semester who have already met diploma requirements, along with the public schools, private schools, and home school programs that currently may require them to keep attending extra classes.
### Why it matters
Seniors who finish their required coursework early would no longer have to sit through additional classes just because the school year isn't over. This could change daily scheduling for graduating seniors and how schools plan coursework for students nearing graduation.
### Key provisions
- Section 1 revises subsection (a) of O.C.G.A. § 20-2-690.1 to split the mandatory attendance rule into two paragraphs, clarifying when attendance is and is not required.
- Section 1 adds new language stating no child in their final semester of high school must take or attend classes beyond the minimum coursework necessary for a diploma.
- Section 2 repeals any conflicting laws, a standard clause with no substantive effect beyond removing conflicts with this Act.
## Status
- Status: Introduced (2025-04-02)
- Last action: House Second Readers (2026-01-12)
- Sponsors: Michael Smith
- Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/71991
> The history, votes, and amendments (129 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb908.md?full=1