SB425: SB425 Education; all schools that receive state funding with students in any of grades three through five to provide instruction in cursive handwriting to all students by no later than third grade; require

This bill amends Georgia's education code (Title 20) in several ways. It adds a new requirement that any school receiving state funds with students in grades three through five must teach cursive handwriting no later than third grade, though this can be folded into existing coursework. It also rewrites the law on automated external defibrillators (AEDs) in schools (O.C.G.A. § 20-2-775), adding bleeding control kits to the same framework: schools must obtain them through the Georgia Trauma Commission's program, train staff to use them, notify local emergency medical services of their location, and include bleeding emergencies in required practice drills. The bill drops the current requirement that a licensed physician be involved in a school's AED program. Separately, it requires local school boards and public school governing bodies, by August 1, 2026, to adopt policies letting an employee who is the victim of physical violence from a student or that student's parent or guardian transfer to a similar position at another school in the same district, without retaliation. Most of the bill takes effect July 1, 2026, but the bleeding control kit and AED changes only take effect if the General Assembly specifically appropriates funding for them.

• Requires all state funded schools with grades three through five to teach cursive handwriting to students no later than third grade.
• Adds bleeding control kits to the school emergency response law alongside AEDs, requiring training, maintenance, and notification of local emergency medical services.
• Removes the requirement that a licensed physician be involved in a school's automated external defibrillator program.
• Requires schools to run at least two emergency drills per year covering both cardiac arrest and severe bleeding scenarios, starting in the 2026-2027 school year.
• Requires local school boards to adopt policies by August 1, 2026 letting employees attacked by a student or a student's parent or guardian transfer to a similar job at another school in the district, without retaliation.
• Makes the bleeding control kit and related AED changes effective only if the legislature specifically appropriates funding for them.

Public school students in grades three through five, teachers and other school employees, local boards of education and school governing bodies, school nurses and emergency response teams, and local emergency medical services agencies that coordinate with schools on defibrillators and bleeding control kits.

Elementary students statewide would be guaranteed cursive instruction, schools would gain a formal system for responding to severe bleeding emergencies alongside cardiac emergencies, and school employees assaulted by a student or their family could move to a new school without losing their job, though the medical emergency provisions depend on future state funding.

• Section 1 adds Code Section 20-2-140.2, requiring cursive handwriting instruction by third grade in any state-funded school with grades three through five.
• Section 2 revises Code Section 20-2-775 to define 'bleeding control kit' and require schools to obtain, maintain, and train staff on these kits through the Georgia Trauma Commission's program.
• Section 2 removes the prior requirement of licensed physician involvement in a school's AED program.
• Section 2 requires at least two emergency action plan drills per school year covering cardiac arrest and severe bleeding, beginning in the 2026-2027 school year.
• Section 3 adds Code Section 20-2-222, requiring local boards to adopt transfer policies by August 1, 2026 for employees who are victims of physical violence by a student or that student's parent or guardian.
• Section 4 sets a general effective date of July 1, 2026, but makes the AED/bleeding control kit changes in Section 2 contingent on a specific legislative appropriation.

1. 2026-03-25House Committee Favorably Reported By Substitute (House)
2. 2026-03-09House Second Readers (House)
3. 2026-03-06House First Readers (House)
4. 2026-03-04Senate Passed/Adopted (Senate)
5. 2026-03-04Senate Third Read (Senate)
6. 2026-02-25Senate Read Second Time (Senate)
7. 2026-02-24Senate Committee Favorably Reported (Senate)
8. 2026-01-28Senate Read and Referred (Senate)

• Marty Harbin (R, SD-016)Primary sponsor
• Carden Summers (R, SD-013)
• Max Burns (R, SD-023)
• Jason T. Dickerson (R, SD-021)
• Billy Hickman (R, SD-004)
• Kenya Wicks (D, SD-034)
• Sonya Halpern (D, SD-039)
• Ed Setzler (R, SD-037)
• Clint Dixon (R, SD-045)
• Derek Mallow (D, SD-002)
• Lee Hawkins (R, HD-027)

1. PassedSenate voteMarch 4, 2026

   43 yea, 9 nay (0 not voting, 3 absent)

   Passage: Senate Vote #637

• cursive handwriting
• school safety
• education law
• student violence protections
• school emergency response