SB537: SB537 Education; schools that receive state funds from displaying any flag other than the flag of the United States or the flag, coat of arms, or state emblem of the State of Georgia; prohibit

Currently, Georgia law does not restrict which flags schools may display on their property. This bill would add a new section to Georgia's education code (O.C.G.A. § 20-1-13) prohibiting any school that receives state funding, at any education level, from displaying any flag other than the United States flag or Georgia's flag, coat of arms, or state emblem, anywhere on property the school owns, leases, or operates for educational purposes. The bill also makes it illegal for any individual to display, or cause to be displayed, a flag that the new law prohibits. The bill does not specify penalties for violations or list any exceptions. It repeals any existing laws that conflict with these new rules.

• Adds a new Georgia law (O.C.G.A. § 20-1-13) barring any school receiving state funds from displaying flags besides the U.S. flag or Georgia's flag, coat of arms, or state emblem.
• Applies the ban to elementary, secondary, and postsecondary schools, covering any facility the school owns, leases, or operates for educational purposes.
• Makes it a criminal offense for any individual to display or cause to be displayed a flag banned under the new rule.
• Repeals any existing Georgia laws that conflict with this new prohibition.

Public and other state-funded elementary, secondary, and postsecondary schools in Georgia, along with school administrators, teachers, and staff who oversee campus displays, as well as any individual who might put up a prohibited flag on school property.

Schools that currently display flags such as historical banners, foreign flags, LGBTQ pride flags, or other symbolic flags would have to remove them or risk violating state law. Individuals who display such flags on covered school property could also be committing a criminal offense under the new rule.

• Section 1 adds new Code Section 20-1-13, prohibiting state-funded schools from displaying any flag other than the U.S. flag or Georgia's flag, coat of arms, or state emblem, anywhere on school property used for education.
• Subsection (a) applies broadly to any manner, time, and place within a facility the school owns, leases, or operates for educational purposes.
• Subsection (b) makes it unlawful for any individual to display or cause the display of a prohibited flag, extending liability beyond the school itself.
• Section 2 repeals any conflicting laws, though the bill does not specify penalties or enforcement procedures for violations.

1. 2026-02-20Senate Read and Referred (Senate)
2. 2026-02-19Senate Hopper (Senate)

• Marty Harbin (R, SD-016)Primary sponsor
• Chuck Payne (R, SD-054)
• Shawn Still (R, SD-048)
• Ricky Williams (R, SD-025)
• Billy Hickman (R, SD-004)
• Timothy Bearden (R, SD-030)
• John Albers (R, SD-056)
• Max Burns (R, SD-023)
• Mike Hodges (R, SD-003)
• Jason T. Dickerson (R, SD-021)
• Drew Echols (R, SD-049)
• Sam Watson (R, SD-011)

• school flag display
• education law
• state-funded schools
• flag restrictions