---
title: SB 148. Public School Property and Facilities; outdoor learning spaces pilot program; provide
collection: bills
id: 2025-2026/sb148
cite_as: SB 148, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.)
canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb148
md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb148.md
text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb148/text
source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/70241
date: 2026-05-05
status: passed
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: 1316
omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb148.md?full=1
bill_number: SB 148
session: 2025-2026 Regular Session
session_slug: 2025-2026
chamber: Senate
bill_type: bill
status_date: 2026-05-05
last_action: Effective Date 2026-07-01
sponsors:
- Bo Hatchett
- Sheikh Rahman
- Soo Hong
text_version: Enrolled
has_text: true
legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/SB148/2025
upstream_id: 1968148
summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5
topic_tags:
- hunting safety education
- school sick leave policy
- outdoor learning spaces
- school defibrillator requirements
- Georgia education law
---
# SB 148. Public School Property and Facilities; outdoor learning spaces pilot program; provide
## Text
Senate Bill 148
By: Senators Hatchett of the 50th and Rahman of the 5th
AS PASSED
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
To amend Chapter 2 of Title 20 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to
elementary and secondary education, so as to provide that local boards of education shall be
authorized to provide instruction in hunting safety in grades six through 12; to provide for
the adoption of content standards by the State Board of Education; to provide that local
boards of education may establish a curriculum in hunting safety; to provide for instructor
requirements; to provide for an outdoor learning spaces pilot program; to provide for a pilot
program evaluation and report; to remove the requirement of having a licensed physician in
automated external defibrillator programs; to increase from three to five the number of
accumulated sick leave days teachers and other school personnel may take each school year
for personal or professional reasons; to provide for related matters; to repeal conflicting laws;
and for other purposes.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:
SECTION 1.
Chapter 2 of Title 20 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to elementary and
secondary education, is amended in Part 14 of Article 6, relating to other educational
programs under the "Quality Basic Education Act," by revising Code Section 20-2-308,
which is reserved, as follows:
"20-2-308.
(a) Beginning in the 2026-2027 school year, each local board of education shall be
authorized to provide instruction in hunting safety in grades six through 12, which
instruction may be incorporated into an existing course of study.
(b) No later than April 1, 2026, the State Board of Education shall adopt content standards
for such instruction in hunting safety.
(c) Each local board of education shall be authorized to establish a curriculum for
instruction in hunting safety, which curriculum shall be based on the hunter education
courses offered by the Department of Natural Resources.
(d) Instruction in hunting safety offered pursuant to this Code section shall be taught by
an individual who is certified as a hunter education instructor by the Department of Natural
Resources. Reserved."
SECTION 2.
Said chapter is further amended in Article 11, relating to public school property and facilities,
by adding a new part to read as follows:
"Part 4
20-2-590.
(a) The Department of Education is authorized to establish a pilot program, beginning in
the 2025-2026 school year, to provide for the development and study of outdoor learning
spaces on elementary and secondary school property. The purpose of the pilot program
shall be to determine whether and how to implement best practices and design standards
for outdoor learning spaces.
(b) The Department of Education is authorized to select elementary or secondary schools
with sufficient existing or potential outdoor learning spaces for participation in the pilot
program as pilot schools. Private, nonprofit, and local school system funding may be
utilized by such pilot schools for community engagement, school grounds design support,
and capital construction costs. The local board of education for each pilot school shall
agree to implement a program to incorporate outdoor learning spaces into the existing
curriculum and to continue to provide such program for a period no shorter than three
years.
(c) The Department of Education shall provide for an evaluation regarding the success and
impact of the pilot program upon completion of the third year of the pilot program and
shall report the results of such evaluation to the House Committee on Education and the
Senate Education and Youth Committee."
SECTION 3.
Said chapter is further amended by revising Code Section 20-2-775, relating to automated
external defibrillators required in high schools, requirements, and funding, as follows:
"20-2-775.
(a) As used in this Code section, the term:
(1) 'Automated external defibrillator' means a defibrillator which:
(A) Is capable of cardiac rhythm analysis;
(B) Will charge and be capable of being activated to deliver a countershock after
electrically detecting the presence of certain cardiac dysrhythmias; and
(C) Is capable of continuously recording cardiac dysrhythmia at the scene with a
mechanism for transfer and storage or for printing for review subsequent to use.
(2) 'Emergency action plan' means the plan established pursuant to paragraph (5) of
subsection (c) of this Code section to provide for an emergency response to a person in
cardiac arrest.
(3) 'Internal response team' means the team of school personnel established pursuant to
paragraph (7) (6) of subsection (c) of this Code section responsible for oversight of an
emergency response to a person in cardiac arrest and implementation of the emergency
action plan.
(4) 'School' means a public school in this state which provides K-12 education.
(b) No later than July 1, 2025, each school in this state shall have at least one functional
automated external defibrillator on site at such school at all times and easily accessible
during all school hours and during any school related function, including athletic practices,
athletic competitions, and other occasions where students and others will be present, for
use during emergencies.
(c) Each school shall:
(1) Ensure that each member of the internal response team and any other expected users
of the automated external defibrillator receive American Heart Association or American
Red Cross training in cardiopulmonary resuscitation and automated external defibrillator
use or complete an equivalent nationally recognized course;
(2) Notify the appropriate emergency medical services system of the existence and
location of each automated external defibrillator prior to said automated external
defibrillator being placed in use;
(3) Ensure that the automated external defibrillator is maintained and tested according
to the manufacturer's operational guidelines;
(4) Ensure that there is involvement of a licensed physician or other person authorized
by the Georgia Composite Medical Board in the site's automated external defibrillator
program to ensure compliance with requirements for training, notification, and
maintenance;
(5)(4) Establish a written emergency action plan that adheres to nationally recognized
standards and that establishes specific steps to take during a cardiac emergency in a
school setting. Such plan shall be designed to provide for an effective system for
communication between members of the internal response team and other school
officials, ensuring that the internal response team or other designated personnel activate
the emergency medical services system as soon as reasonably possible after any person
renders emergency care or treatment to a person in cardiac arrest by using an automated
external defibrillator and report any clinical use of the automated external defibrillator
to the licensed physician or other person authorized by the Georgia Composite Medical
Board who is supervising the program, and ensuring that emergency medical services
personnel are led directly to the exact location of the person in cardiac arrest;
(6)(5) Beginning in the 2025-2026 school year and each school year thereafter, conduct
a minimum of two emergency action plan practice drills per school year, with at least one
per semester. One such practice drill may be a tabletop drill to walk through a
hypothetical scenario and the courses of action a school will need to take before, during,
and after a cardiac emergency. The emergency action plan practice drills shall include
various locations on school grounds and responses to different hypothetical situations;
(7)(6) Establish a designated internal response team composed of:
(A) At least five school staff members;
(B) One or more designated team leads trained in cardiopulmonary resuscitation and
automated external defibrillator use and responsible for oversight of an emergency
response;
(C) One or more designated cardiopulmonary resuscitation leads trained in
cardiopulmonary resuscitation and automated external defibrillator use;
(D) One or more designated automated external defibrillator leads, responsible for
knowing the location of automated external defibrillators, retrieving automated external
defibrillators, and maintenance of automated external defibrillators; and
(E) One or more designated communication leads responsible for activating the
emergency medical services system, facilitating directions to the person in cardiac
arrest for emergency medical services personnel upon arrival at the school, and
coordinating communications with the designated team lead or leads; and
(8)(7) Apprise all school personnel of the location of automated external defibrillators
and the members of the internal response team.
(d) Subject to appropriations by the General Assembly, the Department of Education shall
provide funds to local school systems to assist in the purchase of automated external
defibrillators pursuant to this Code section.
(e) The department and local school systems shall use diligent efforts to identify private
sources of funding or donation of funding and equipment to meet the requirements of this
Code section."
SECTION 4.
Said chapter is further amended by revising Code Section 20-2-851, relating to use of
accumulated sick leave for personal or professional reasons, as follows:
"20-2-851.
During any school year, personnel may utilize up to a maximum of three five days of any
accumulated sick leave for the purpose of absenting themselves from their duties for
personal or professional reasons if prior approval of their absence is given by the local
school superintendent or his or her authorized representative; provided, however, that the
absence is not in conflict with a local board of education policy concerning school days on
which the presence of the personnel requesting absence is essential for effective school
operation. No grant of approval for an absence permitted under this Code section shall be
conditioned upon disclosure of the specific purpose for which such absence is sought, nor
shall any such grant of approval be withheld or denied because of the failure or refusal of
personnel to disclose the specific purpose for which such an absence is sought; provided,
however, that personnel may be requested to state whether the absence is sought under the
category of 'personal' or 'professional' absence."
SECTION 5.
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.
Senate Bill 148 lets Georgia schools teach hunting safety in grades six through 12, creates a pilot program for outdoor classroom spaces, eases defibrillator oversight rules, and raises the personal sick leave school staff can use each year from three to five days.
### Plain-language summary
This bill makes several unrelated changes to Georgia's education laws. Starting in the 2026-2027 school year, local school boards may offer hunting safety instruction in grades six through 12, using standards the State Board of Education must adopt by April 1, 2026, and curriculum based on Department of Natural Resources hunter education courses taught only by DNR-certified instructors.
The bill also lets the Department of Education run a pilot program, starting in the 2025-2026 school year, to test outdoor learning spaces at selected elementary and secondary schools, funded partly by private and local money, with results reported to House and Senate education committees after three years. It removes the requirement that a licensed physician or Georgia Composite Medical Board designee oversee each school's automated external defibrillator (AED) program, and it drops the requirement to report AED use to that physician. Finally, it raises the number of accumulated sick leave days school personnel may use each year for personal or professional reasons from three to five.
### What it does
- Authorizes local school boards to offer hunting safety instruction in grades six through 12 starting in the 2026-2027 school year, using DNR-certified instructors.
- Requires the State Board of Education to adopt content standards for hunting safety instruction by April 1, 2026.
- Creates a Department of Education pilot program to develop and study outdoor learning spaces at selected schools, running at least three years with an evaluation report to legislative education committees.
- Removes the requirement for a licensed physician or Georgia Composite Medical Board designee to oversee each school's automated external defibrillator program.
- Eliminates the requirement to report clinical AED use to a supervising physician.
- Raises the number of accumulated sick leave days school personnel can use for personal or professional reasons each year from three to five.
### Who it affects
Local school boards and the State Board of Education, students in grades six through 12 who may take hunting safety classes, Department of Natural Resources-certified hunter education instructors, schools selected for the outdoor learning spaces pilot, school internal AED response teams, and teachers and other school personnel who use accumulated sick leave.
### Why it matters
Schools would gain new options: teaching hunting safety and testing outdoor classroom designs, potentially with outside funding. AED programs would no longer need physician oversight, shifting responsibility to internal school teams, and school employees would get two extra paid personal or professional leave days each year.
### Key provisions
- Section 1 adds Code Section 20-2-308, letting local boards teach hunting safety in grades six through 12 beginning in the 2026-2027 school year, with State Board content standards due by April 1, 2026, curriculum based on DNR hunter education courses, and instruction limited to DNR-certified instructors.
- Section 2 creates new Part 4 (Code Section 20-2-590) establishing an outdoor learning spaces pilot program starting in the 2025-2026 school year, allowing private and local funding, requiring participating schools to run the program at least three years, and requiring a report to the House and Senate education committees after year three.
- Section 3 revises Code Section 20-2-775 to remove the requirement that a licensed physician or Georgia Composite Medical Board designee be involved in school AED programs and removes the requirement to report AED use to that physician, while keeping other AED requirements like emergency action plans and biannual drills.
- Section 4 revises Code Section 20-2-851 to raise the annual cap on accumulated sick leave used for personal or professional reasons from three days to five days.
## Status
- Status: Passed (2026-05-05)
- Last action: Effective Date 2026-07-01 (2026-05-05)
- Sponsors: Bo Hatchett, Sheikh Rahman, Soo Hong
- Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/70241
> The history, votes, and amendments (1,316 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb148.md?full=1