--- title: HR 1795. Local school systems; adopt policies that encourage student civic and political participation; urge collection: bills id: 2025-2026/hr1795 cite_as: HR 1795, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1795 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1795.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1795/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/74274 date: 2026-03-23 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/hr1794.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1796.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 132 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1795.md?full=1 bill_number: HR 1795 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: House bill_type: resolution status_date: 2026-03-19 last_action: House Second Readers sponsors: - Bryce Berry - Omari Crawford - Stacey Evans - Anne Westbrook - Akbar Ali text_version: Introduced has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HR1795/2025 upstream_id: 2136367 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - student civic engagement - school attendance policy - student free speech - local school boards --- # HR 1795. Local school systems; adopt policies that encourage student civic and political participation; urge ## Text House Resolution 1795 By: Representatives Berry of the 56th, Crawford of the 89th, Evans of the 57th, Westbrook of the 163rd, and Ali of the 106th A RESOLUTION Urging local school systems to adopt policies that encourage student civic and political participation; and for other purposes. WHEREAS, students should be allowed to exercise their right to free speech when it is appropriate without punishment from a local school system; and WHEREAS, encouraging students to exercise their right to free speech could lead to advancements in their education and service to the community; and WHEREAS, local school systems should grant excused absences to students attending or participating in a civic or political event; and WHEREAS, adopting such policies will encourage students to become civically and politically engaged within their communities. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES that the members of this body urge local school systems to adopt policies that encourage student civic and political participation. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Clerk of the House of Representatives is authorized and directed to make appropriate copies of this resolution available for distribution to the public and press. ## Summaries written by Georgia Commons The following was written by claude-sonnet-5 from the text above and is not part of the resolution. Quote the text, not the summary. A Georgia House resolution urges local school systems to adopt policies that encourage students to take part in civic and political activities, including giving excused absences for those events. ### Plain-language summary This resolution does not change Georgia law. It expresses the opinion of the House of Representatives that local school systems should adopt policies supporting student civic and political participation. The resolution's preamble states that students should be able to exercise free speech without punishment from their school system, and that encouraging civic engagement could benefit students' education and their communities. The resolution specifically urges school systems to grant excused absences to students who attend or participate in civic or political events. It does not require any school system to act, since a resolution has no binding legal effect. The final section directs the Clerk of the House to distribute copies of the resolution to the public and press. ### What it does - Urges, but does not require, local school systems in Georgia to adopt policies encouraging student civic and political participation. - States the House's position that students should be able to exercise free speech without punishment from their school system. - Urges local school systems to grant excused absences to students who attend or participate in civic or political events. - Directs the Clerk of the House of Representatives to distribute copies of the resolution to the public and press. ### Who it affects Local school systems and their boards, students in Georgia's K-12 public schools who may want to attend civic or political events, and school administrators who set attendance and free speech policies. ### Why it matters Because this is a resolution rather than a bill that changes the Georgia Code, it carries no legal force. Its practical effect is limited to encouraging local school boards to consider excused absence policies and student free speech protections on their own. ### Key provisions - The whereas clauses state the House's reasoning: support for student free speech without punishment and support for excused absences for civic or political events. - The first resolving clause urges local school systems to adopt policies encouraging student civic and political participation. - The final clause directs the Clerk of the House to make copies available to the public and press. ## Status - Status: Introduced (2026-03-19) - Last action: House Second Readers (2026-03-23) - Sponsors: Bryce Berry, Omari Crawford, Stacey Evans, Anne Westbrook, Akbar Ali - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/74274 > The history, votes, and amendments (132 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1795.md?full=1