HB1410: HB1410 Georgia Student Vision and Literacy Readiness Act; enact

Georgia law already directs the Department of Public Health to set rules for eye, ear, dental, and nutrition screening of students entering first grade. This bill expands and modernizes that system specifically for vision. By August 1, 2027, every local school system and public school would have to screen students for vision problems when they first enroll and again in kindergarten and grades one, three, five, seven, and ten, using modern digital or instrument-based devices such as photoscreeners and autorefractors where possible instead of traditional eye charts. Parents would get notice before a screening and could opt their child out. If a child fails the screening, parents must be told within ten school days and given a referral for a full eye exam, plus information about financial help. Schools must try to confirm exams happen and close referrals within 60 school days. The bill also creates the Georgia Vision Access Fund, run by the Department of Public Health, to pay for screening equipment, staff training, eye exams, and glasses for uninsured or underinsured students. The law would take effect as soon as the Governor signs it.

• Requires public schools to screen students for vision problems at initial enrollment and in kindergarten and grades one, three, five, seven, and ten, starting by August 1, 2027.
• Directs schools to prioritize modern digital or instrument-based vision screening devices over traditional wall-chart eye tests where feasible.
• Requires parental notice at least five school days before a screening and lets parents opt their child out.
• Requires schools to notify parents within ten school days if a child fails a vision screening and provide a referral for a full eye exam.
• Creates the Georgia Vision Access Fund inside the state treasury to pay for screening equipment, staff training, eye exams, and eyeglasses for students who cannot afford them.
• Requires the Department of Public Health and the State Board of Education to share de-identified vision and literacy data to guide reading interventions.

Public school students in kindergarten through grade 12 and their parents or guardians, school nurses and other school health staff, local school systems, the State Board of Education, the Department of Public Health, and optometrists, ophthalmologists, and other contractors who may be certified to conduct screenings.

Vision problems that go undetected can make it harder for children to learn to read, and the bill aims to catch those problems earlier using more advanced screening tools. It also sets up a funding source so students who fail screenings, including uninsured or underinsured children, can get eye exams and glasses rather than going without care.

• Section 3 rewrites O.C.G.A. § 20-2-770 to require vision screenings at enrollment and in specific grade levels by August 1, 2027, and lists who may perform the screenings, including school nurses, trained personnel, optometrists, and certified contractors.
• Section 3 requires parent notice at least five school days before a screening with a right to opt out, and notice of failed results within ten school days along with a referral.
• Section 3 requires schools to try to verify completed eye exams and close referrals within sixty school days, and to report screening and referral data annually to the State Board of Education.
• Section 3 requires the State Board of Education and the Department of Public Health to jointly build a data-sharing system linking vision outcomes with statewide literacy performance, published in de-identified form.
• Section 4 creates the Georgia Vision Access Fund under O.C.G.A. § 31-2A-21 to pay for screening devices, staff training, eye exams, eyeglasses, and related travel or on-site dispensing costs for students, funded by state appropriations, grants, gifts, and donations.
• Section 4 directs the Department of Public Health to adopt and update vision screening standards at least every five years, prioritizing digital devices while still allowing traditional acuity testing when needed.
• Section 4 authorizes the Department of Public Health to certify contractors, including local health departments, telehealth providers, mobile units, and nonprofits, to conduct school vision screenings for free.
• Section 5 sets the effective date as the date the Governor signs the bill, or the date it becomes law without the Governor's signature.

1. 2026-02-25House Second Readers (House)
2. 2026-02-24House First Readers (House)
3. 2026-02-20House Hopper (House)

• Terry Cummings (D, HD-039)Primary sponsor
• Kim Schofield (D, HD-063)
• Viola Davis (D, HD-087)
• Sandra Scott (D, HD-076)

• vision screening
• school health
• student literacy
• education funding
• public health