Sen Floor Amend 1 AM 62 0050 to SB 179

ADOPTED Senator Dixon of the 45th offered the following amendment #1: Amend the House Committee on Education substitute to SB 179 (LC 49 2411S) by inserting after "$350.00;" on line 7 the following: to require local school systems to allow the representatives of certain organizations to speak with students during school hours; to require certain organizations to provide notice; to require local school superintendents to provide approval of certain activities by certain organizations during school hours; to require local school superintendents to provide written explanation for denial of certain activities; to provide for legislative intent; to provide for a definition; By inserting between lines 163 and 164 the following: Said chapter is further amended by adding a new Code section to read as follows: "20-2-324.10. (a) As used in this Code section, the term 'patriotic society' means a youth organization listed in Title 36 of the United States Code as a patriotic society that promotes good citizenship, civic education, and patriotism, including, but not limited to, the Boy Scouts of America and its affiliated Georgia groups and councils and the Girl Scouts of the United States of America and its affiliated Georgia groups and councils. (b) To encourage local school systems to facilitate access for students to participate in citizenship, civic, and patriotic activities provided by a patriotic society, each local school system shall allow representatives of a patriotic society the opportunity to speak with students to promote good citizenship, civic education, and patriotism during school hours. (c)(1) To speak with students during school hours pursuant to this Code section, a patriotic society shall submit a written request to a local school superintendent proposing a date and time to visit a school. Such notice shall be submitted at least 30 days before the proposed date and time. (2) Such notice shall also include the purpose of the visit, the amount of time the patriotic society will be on school grounds, and the speakers and representatives of such patriotic society who will be in attendance. (3) Within seven days of receiving the request, the local school superintendent shall provide verbal or written approval or denial of the specific date and time requested by the patriotic society. If the local school superintendent denies such request, the local school superintendent shall provide, in writing, a comparable, alternative date and time for the patriotic society to visit. (4) If the local school superintendent denies the request and does not provide an alternative date and time, the local school superintendent shall provide the patriotic society with a written explanation of the reasoning for such denial without an alternative date and time. (d) It is the intent of the General Assembly that if any provision of this Code section is found invalid by a court of law, this Code section shall be void and repealed in its entirety." SECTION 4. By redesignating Section 4 as Section 5.