---
title: HR 1829. Georgia schools and boards of education; adopt evidence-based discipline policies and procedures to address the public health crisis of student vape and e-cigarette use; urge
collection: bills
id: 2025-2026/hr1829
cite_as: HR 1829, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.)
canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1829
md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1829.md
text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1829/text
source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/74317
date: 2026-03-27
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: 185
omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1829.md?full=1
bill_number: HR 1829
session: 2025-2026 Regular Session
session_slug: 2025-2026
chamber: House
bill_type: resolution
status_date: 2026-03-20
last_action: House Committee Favorably Reported
sponsors:
  - Michelle Au
text_version: Introduced
has_text: true
legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HR1829/2025
upstream_id: 2136820
summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5
topic_tags:
  - student vaping
  - school discipline
  - public health
  - e-cigarettes
  - education policy
---

# HR 1829. Georgia schools and boards of education; adopt evidence-based discipline policies and procedures to address the public health crisis of student vape and e-cigarette use; urge

## Text

House Resolution 1829
By: Representative Au of the 50th
A RESOLUTION
Urging Georgia schools and boards of education to adopt evidence-based discipline policies
and procedures to address the public health crisis of student vape and e-cigarette use; and for
other purposes.
WHEREAS, the adolescent use of e-cigarettes and vapes has become a national public health
crisis, with the American Lung Association reporting that more than 2.1 million middle and
high school students are currently using e-cigarettes, with a staggering 18.2 percent of high
school students across the State of Georgia currently using e-cigarettes, more than double the
nation's average; and
WHEREAS, vaping exposes young people to nicotine and other harmful substances at a time
when the brain is most at risk for addiction, and because the brain continues to develop until
early adulthood, the use of any addictive substance prior to these years is especially risky;
and
WHEREAS, the House Study Committee on the Costs and Effects of Smoking found that
e-cigarettes contribute to serious and negative health effects, and the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention confirms these include respiratory illnesses, asthma, ADHD, and
other behavioral problems in youth, as well as withdrawal symptoms when youth seek to
quit; and
WHEREAS, e-cigarette device use is the second leading disciplinary incident in Georgia
public schools according to the Georgia Office of Student Achievement, and in more than
50 percent of school vaping cases, children are suspended or expelled from school for long
periods of time; and
WHEREAS, research shows that suspensions of 10 days or more can cut students' likelihood
of graduating in half and that children who do not graduate experience higher rates of chronic
illness, homelessness, joblessness, and justice involvement, costing the state millions of
dollars in lost revenue and increased social services; and
WHEREAS, the 2025 House Study Committee on Student Attendance recognized that
chronic absenteeism is a "critical barrier to student achievement, literacy, and long-term
workforce readiness" and must be reduced; and
WHEREAS, rather than zero tolerance approaches to student vaping that have proven
ineffective at stopping students from vaping or helping them recover from addiction, schools
require evidence-based, health-focused alternatives to school suspensions and expulsions to
combat the vaping crisis and protect student education, health, and wellbeing; and
WHEREAS, schools may participate in the Georgia Department of Public Health's "Opt-Out
Live Vape Free Program," in which a child caught vaping in school is given the opportunity
to participate in a multipart education and cessation program as an alternative to suspension;
and
WHEREAS, schools may also take advantage of other free, effective vaping education,
cessation, and alternative-to-suspension programs, including the Department of Public
Health's Tobacco-Free Schools Toolkit, the American Lung Association's INDEPTH and
N-O-T for schools and students, and school-based behavioral health services offered by
Georgia's Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities' Apex and other
programs.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES that
the members of this body urge Georgia schools and boards of education to reject ineffective
zero tolerance discipline approaches to student vaping in favor of alternative-to-suspension
programs proven to help students stop vaping while remaining in school in safe and
supportive learning environments.
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 the 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 public schools and school boards to replace zero-tolerance vaping punishments with evidence-based, health-focused programs that help students quit while staying in school.

### Plain-language summary

This resolution does not create new law or funding. It expresses the Georgia House of Representatives' position on how schools should respond to student vaping and e-cigarette use, which it describes as a widespread problem in Georgia schools.
The resolution points to data showing vaping is a leading cause of school discipline in Georgia and that long suspensions can hurt students' chances of graduating. It urges schools and boards of education to move away from zero-tolerance discipline, meaning automatic suspension or expulsion, and instead use alternative-to-suspension programs such as the Department of Public Health's Opt-Out Live Vape Free Program, its Tobacco-Free Schools Toolkit, the American Lung Association's INDEPTH and N-O-T programs, and behavioral health services from the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities. It directs the Clerk of the House to distribute copies of the resolution to the public and press.

### What it does

- Urges Georgia schools and boards of education to stop using zero-tolerance discipline for student vaping and e-cigarette use.
- Encourages schools to adopt alternative-to-suspension programs that focus on education and cessation rather than punishment.
- Names specific existing programs schools can use, including the Department of Public Health's Opt-Out Live Vape Free Program and Tobacco-Free Schools Toolkit.
- Directs the Clerk of the House of Representatives to distribute copies of the resolution to the public and the press.
- Creates no new statute, funding, or legal requirement; it only states the House's position and encouragement.

### Who it affects

Georgia public school students, teachers, and administrators, along with local school boards that set discipline policy. The Department of Public Health, the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities, and organizations like the American Lung Association are named as sources of alternative programs schools could use.

### Why it matters

Because this is a resolution, it does not force any school to change its discipline rules. But it puts the House's weight behind moving away from suspending or expelling students caught vaping, which the resolution says can lower graduation rates, toward treatment-focused programs already available at no cost to schools.

### Key provisions

- The whereas clauses cite data that 18.2 percent of Georgia high schoolers vape, more than double the national average, and that vaping is the second leading cause of school discipline incidents in the state.
- The resolution notes suspensions of 10 or more days can cut graduation likelihood in half, linking discipline practices to long-term outcomes like joblessness and justice involvement.
- The operative resolving clause urges schools and boards of education to reject zero tolerance approaches in favor of alternative-to-suspension programs.
- A further resolving clause directs the Clerk of the House to make copies available to the public and press.

## Status

- Status: Introduced (2026-03-20)
- Last action: House Committee Favorably Reported (2026-03-27)
- Sponsors: Michelle Au
- Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/74317

> The history, votes, and amendments (185 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1829.md?full=1