SB471: SB471 Education; requires a student to wear a face mask or face covering while present on school property; eliminate automatic repeal provision

In 2022, the Georgia General Assembly passed a law (Ga. L. 2022, p. 23/SB 514) saying that no local school board, superintendent, principal, teacher, or other school staff can require students to wear a face mask or face covering on school property unless the rule lets a parent or guardian opt their child out. That 2022 law included a section causing it to automatically expire at a later date. Senate Bill 471 amends that 2022 law by repealing Section 6, the automatic repeal provision, and leaving that section reserved (blank) rather than filled with new text. The practical effect is that the parental opt-out protection for school mask rules would no longer have an expiration date and would stay in effect indefinitely. The bill also includes a standard clause repealing any conflicting laws.

• Removes the automatic expiration (sunset) provision from Georgia's 2022 law on school mask mandates, so that law would no longer end on its own.
• Keeps in place the underlying rule that schools cannot require students to wear masks unless parents can opt their child out.
• Repeals Section 6 of the 2022 Act and leaves it reserved, rather than replacing it with new substantive text.
• Includes a standard clause repealing any other state laws that conflict with this change.

Local boards of education, school superintendents, principals, teachers, and other school personnel who set rules about face coverings, as well as parents and guardians of public school students in Georgia who currently rely on the opt-out protection.

Without this change, the 2022 rule guaranteeing parents the right to opt their children out of school mask requirements was set to expire at some point. This bill would keep that protection permanently in place, meaning schools would continue to be barred from enforcing mask rules without a parental opt-out option.

• Section 1 amends the 2022 Act (Ga. L. 2022, p. 23/SB 514) by repealing and reserving Section 6, which had contained the automatic repeal date for the law.
• Section 2 repeals any other Georgia laws that conflict with this Act, a standard closing provision.

1. 2026-03-06House Second Readers (House)
2. 2026-03-04House First Readers (House)
3. 2026-03-03Senate Passed/Adopted (Senate)
4. 2026-03-03Senate Third Read (Senate)
5. 2026-02-12Senate Read Second Time (Senate)
6. 2026-02-11Senate Committee Favorably Reported (Senate)
7. 2026-02-09Senate Read and Referred (Senate)
8. 2026-02-06Senate Hopper (Senate)

• Greg Dolezal (R, SD-027)Primary sponsor
• Bo Hatchett (R, SD-050)
• Ben Watson (R, SD-001)
• Carden Summers (R, SD-013)
• Russ Goodman (R, SD-008)
• Ricky Williams (R, SD-025)
• Max Burns (R, SD-023)
• Steve Gooch (R, SD-051)
• Shawn Still (R, SD-048)
• Jason T. Dickerson (R, SD-021)
• Drew Echols (R, SD-049)
• Matt Brass (R, SD-006)

1. PassedSenate voteMarch 3, 2026

   51 yea, 1 nay (0 not voting, 3 absent)

   Passage: Senate Vote #611

• school mask mandates
• student health policy
• parental rights in schools
• education law