Senate · Introduced · 2025-2026 Regular Session

SB519: SB519 Education; provisions relating to the conditions of employment for employees of local school systems and other public schools; revise

Last action February 18, 2026 · Senate Read and Referred

A Georgia Senate bill would change several rules for public school employees, including who can evaluate teachers, when contracts must be finalized, restroom breaks for teachers, staff training, and school bus driver policies.

In plain language

This bill amends several sections of Georgia's education code (Title 20, Chapter 2) that govern how local school systems treat their employees. It changes the rules for annual performance evaluations by barring any public school employee from serving as the evaluator for other employees at the same school, and it puts the local superintendent in charge of making sure schools follow the evaluation rules. The bill also keeps the existing May 15 deadline for school systems to offer teachers new contracts, but restates the requirement that those contracts be complete and not left blank on any terms. It adds a new requirement that teachers working more than half the school day get at least two planned restroom breaks daily, one of which can overlap with their planning period. It also updates the purpose of staff development programs to emphasize training relevant to an employee's specific role, and requires updated school bus policies to be shared with all bus drivers, including newly hired ones, with written acknowledgment.

What the bill does

Bars any public school employee from being selected as the performance evaluator for other employees at that same school.
Makes the local superintendent responsible for ensuring schools comply with the annual evaluation rules under O.C.G.A. § 20-2-210.
Requires teachers working more than half the school day to receive at least two planned restroom breaks daily, one of which may overlap with their planning period.
Restates that teacher contracts tendered by the May 15 deadline must be complete, with no blank or open terms and conditions.
Updates staff development policy to require training relevant to each employee's specific role, in addition to existing research-based training goals.
Requires updated school bus driver policies to be provided to and acknowledged in writing by all bus drivers, including when policies change mid-year.

Who it affects

Public school teachers and other certificated professional employees, local school system superintendents and governing boards, school bus drivers, and the Georgia Department of Education, which oversees staff development and evaluation reporting requirements.

Why it matters

Teachers would gain a guaranteed daily restroom break and protection from being evaluated by a coworker rather than a trained evaluator. School systems would face added administrative responsibilities around evaluations, contracts, training, and bus driver policy acknowledgments.

Key provisions

Section 1 revises O.C.G.A. § 20-2-210 so no public school employee can evaluate coworkers, and places compliance responsibility on the local superintendent.
Section 2 revises O.C.G.A. § 20-2-211 to reaffirm the May 15 contract deadline and require contracts to be complete with no blank terms.
Section 3 adds a new paragraph to O.C.G.A. § 20-2-218 requiring at least two planned restroom breaks per day for teachers working more than half the school day.
Section 4 revises O.C.G.A. § 20-2-230 to require staff development training relevant to each employee's specific role.
Section 5 revises O.C.G.A. § 20-2-1126 to require written acknowledgment of school bus policies by all drivers, including when policies are updated mid-year.
Section 6 repeals conflicting laws.

Status timeline

2026-02-18Senate Read and Referred (Senate)
2026-02-17Senate Hopper (Senate)

Topics

teacher working conditions
school employee evaluations
teacher contracts
school bus safety
staff training