Georgia CommonsSB 148: Public School Property and Facilities; outdoor learning spaces pilot program; provide
Enrolled version, the latest LegiScan holds · Last action May 5, 2026 · Passed
The text as LegiScan holds it, read from the PDF the legislature publishes with its margin line numbers, running heads, and page footers removed. Line breaks are joined into paragraphs here; no word is changed.
Underlined words are what the bill adds to current law and struck-through words are what it removes, as the printed bill shows them.
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.