--- title: HR 648. School Social Workers Association of Georgia; expertise and commitment to the well-being of students and their families; commend collection: bills id: 2025-2026/hr648 cite_as: HR 648, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr648 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr648.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr648/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/71468 date: 2025-03-18 status: passed corpus_version: bills-2026-08-28 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/hr647.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr649.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 131 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr648.md?full=1 bill_number: HR 648 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: House bill_type: resolution status_date: 2025-03-18 last_action: House Read and Adopted sponsors: - David Wilkerson - Michael Smith - Bryce Berry - Mekyah McQueen - Mark Newton text_version: Introduced has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HR648/2025 upstream_id: 2010589 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - school social workers - student mental health - education - legislative commendation --- # HR 648. School Social Workers Association of Georgia; expertise and commitment to the well-being of students and their families; commend ## Text 25 LC 112 3248 House Resolution 648 By: Representatives Wilkerson of the 38th, Smith of the 41st, Berry of the 56th, McQueen of the 61st, and Newton of the 127th A RESOLUTION Recognizing and commending the School Social Workers Associatio n of Georgia for its1 expertise and commitment to the well-being of students and thei r families; and for other2 purposes.3 WHEREAS, each year, thousands of children and their families in this state utilize the4 services of school social workers, who are master's level trained professionals working in our5 schools; and6 WHEREAS, the School Social Workers Association of Georgia is a nonprofit entity that was7 formed in 1978 to help children and families access resources n eeded to allow children to8 thrive and learn; and9 WHEREAS, the School Social Workers Association is a nonprofit a ssociation with more10 than 450 members statewide; and11 WHEREAS, the School Social Workers Association of Georgia champions the needs of all12 children in Georgia's public schools and their families by ensuring access to mental health13 services, responding promptly to individual and school-wide crises, addressing educational14 H. R. 648 - 1 - 25 LC 112 3248 barriers faced by homeless youth, and partnering with community m e m b e r s a n d15 organizations to secure resources aimed at enhancing student achievement; and16 WHEREAS, the School Social Workers Association of Georgia seeks to promote the17 well-being of its members by offering conferences focused on wellness practices for school18 social workers and their communities and training that provides strategies to manage stress19 and prevent burnout and helps to ensure that its members remain effective and resilient in20 their roles, which is a practice that enhances their ability to support students' mental health21 and well-being, leading to a more positive and productive schoo l environment as mental22 health challenges among youth continue to rise; and23 WHEREAS, the School Social Workers Association of Georgia's members work tirelessly24 to remove student barriers to learning by intervening to improve school attendance, behavior,25 and academic achievement; coordinating family, school, and community resources to enable26 a child to learn as effectively as possible; alleviating stress by making connections for27 students, family, and school staff; providing crisis intervention services; assessing students28 with mental health concerns and making referrals where appropri ate; identifying and29 reporting child abuse and neglect; conducting home visits; enha ncing the professional30 capacity of school personnel; and assisting in implementing multi-tiered supports in schools.31 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES that32 the members of this body recognize and commend the School Social Workers Association33 of Georgia and its members for their work done to help provide crisis and counseling34 services to Georgia's children and their families as well as to improve Georgia's education35 system, including better student attendance and graduation rates.36 H. R. 648 - 2 - 25 LC 112 3248 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Clerk of the House of Representatives is authorized37 and directed to make an appropriate copy of this resolution available for distribution to the38 School Social Workers Association of Georgia.39 H. R. 648 - 3 - ## 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 formally commends the School Social Workers Association of Georgia for its work supporting students' mental health and families across the state's public schools. ### Plain-language summary This is a ceremonial resolution from the Georgia House of Representatives, not a change to state law. It recognizes the School Social Workers Association of Georgia, a nonprofit founded in 1978 with more than 450 members, for the work its members do in public schools statewide. The resolution describes how school social workers help students by connecting them to mental health services, responding to crises, addressing barriers faced by homeless youth, and coordinating with community organizations. It also notes the association's efforts to support its own members' well-being through wellness training. The resolution directs the Clerk of the House to prepare a copy for distribution to the association, but it creates no new requirements, funding, or legal changes. ### What it does - Formally recognizes and commends the School Social Workers Association of Georgia and its members for their work in schools. - States the House's appreciation for the association's role in crisis intervention, counseling, and connecting families to resources. - Directs the Clerk of the House of Representatives to prepare a copy of the resolution for distribution to the association. - Creates no new laws, funding, or requirements; it is a symbolic statement rather than a change to the Official Code of Georgia. ### Who it affects The resolution directly names the School Social Workers Association of Georgia and its more than 450 members, who work in the state's public schools supporting students and families with mental health and social service needs. ### Why it matters Because this is a commendation rather than a law, it does not change any rights, funding, or duties for schools, students, or families. Its practical effect is limited to public recognition of school social workers' role in Georgia's education system. ### Key provisions - The resolution's whereas clauses describe the association's history, size, and the range of services its members provide in schools. - The resolved clause formally commends the association and its members for their work supporting students' attendance, graduation, and well-being. - A further resolved clause directs the Clerk of the House to make a copy available for distribution to the association. ## Status - Status: Passed (2025-03-18) - Last action: House Read and Adopted (2025-03-18) - Sponsors: David Wilkerson, Michael Smith, Bryce Berry, Mekyah McQueen, Mark Newton - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/71468 > The history, votes, and amendments (131 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr648.md?full=1