SB 597: "Student Legal Literacy and Life Skills Education Act"; enact

Georgia's current core curriculum for public schools does not include a required course on everyday legal knowledge like constitutional rights, workplace protections, or tenant rights. This bill, called the Student Legal Literacy and Life Skills Education Act, would add a new section to the state's Quality Basic Education Act to change that. The State Board of Education would have to adopt content standards by January 1, 2027 covering constitutional rights, individual legal responsibilities, interactions with law enforcement, employment rights and contracts, housing and tenant rights, and the consequences of breaking criminal law. Starting with the 2027-2028 school year, every local school board and other public school governing body would have to require students to complete at least a half-credit course built on those standards sometime during ninth through twelfth grade before they can graduate. Schools could fold the course into existing classes, and it could count toward a social studies or elective credit requirement.

• Adds a new Code section requiring the State Board of Education to adopt content standards for a legal literacy and life skills course by January 1, 2027.
• Requires the standards to cover six topics: constitutional rights, legal responsibilities, interactions with law enforcement, employment rights and contracts, housing and tenant rights, and consequences of breaking criminal law.
• Requires local school boards and other public school governing bodies to make students complete at least a half-credit course based on those standards before graduating, starting in the 2027-2028 school year.
• Allows the course to be taught within existing coursework rather than as a standalone class.
• Lets the course count toward a social studies or elective credit requirement for graduation.

Public high school students in grades nine through twelve, who would need to pass the course to graduate; local school boards and other public school governing bodies, which must build and offer the course; and the State Board of Education, which must write the content standards by 2027.

If enacted, Georgia high schoolers would get formal instruction on topics like their rights during police encounters, workplace protections, and tenant rights before graduating, and schools would need to build or adapt courses to meet a new statewide graduation requirement starting in 2027-2028.

• Section 1 gives the bill its short title, the Student Legal Literacy and Life Skills Education Act.
• Section 2 adds new Code section 20-2-149.5, directing the State Board of Education to adopt content standards no later than January 1, 2027 covering six specific topic areas.
• Section 2 also requires local boards of education and other public school governing bodies, beginning in the 2027-2028 school year, to require all students to complete at least a half-credit course based on those standards as a graduation condition.
• Section 2 allows the course to be integrated into existing coursework and to count toward a social studies or elective credit requirement.
• Section 3 repeals any conflicting laws.

1. 2026-02-26Senate Read and Referred (Senate)
2. 2026-02-25Senate Hopper (Senate)

• Randal Mangham (D, SD-055)Primary sponsor
• Harold Jones (D, SD-022)
• Kenya Wicks (D, SD-034)
• Nabilah Islam Parkes (D, SD-007)
• Nan Orrock (D, SD-036)

• education policy
• high school curriculum
• graduation requirements
• legal literacy
• student rights