HR1829: HR1829 Georgia schools and boards of education; adopt evidence-based discipline policies and procedures to address the public health crisis of student vape and e-cigarette use; urge

This resolution responds to what it calls a public health crisis of e-cigarette and vape use among Georgia students, citing data that 18.2 percent of Georgia high schoolers vape, more than double the national average, and that vaping is the second most common disciplinary issue in Georgia public schools. It notes that vaping incidents often lead to long suspensions or expulsions, and that long suspensions are linked to lower graduation rates and worse long-term outcomes. Rather than creating any new law, the resolution urges Georgia schools and boards of education to reject zero tolerance discipline for vaping and instead use alternative-to-suspension programs, such as the Department of Public Health's Opt-Out Live Vape Free Program, that combine education and cessation support so students can stop vaping while staying in school. It also directs the Clerk of the House to distribute copies of the resolution to the public and press.

• Urges Georgia schools and boards of education to reject zero tolerance discipline policies for student vaping.
• Encourages schools to adopt alternative-to-suspension programs focused on vaping education and cessation instead of long suspensions or expulsions.
• Names specific existing programs schools could use, including the Department of Public Health's Opt-Out Live Vape Free Program, the Tobacco-Free Schools Toolkit, and the American Lung Association's INDEPTH and N-O-T programs.
• Directs the Clerk of the House of Representatives to distribute copies of the resolution to the public and press.
• Does not create any new legal requirement, funding mandate, or penalty; it is a statement of the House's position rather than a change to Georgia law.

Georgia public school students who vape or use e-cigarettes, especially those facing suspension or expulsion; teachers and school administrators who set discipline policy; local boards of education; and state agencies such as the Department of Public Health and the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities that run relevant programs.

Because this is a resolution rather than a binding law, it does not force any school to change its discipline policy, but it signals the House's preference for treating vaping as a health issue rather than an automatic suspension offense, which could influence how individual schools and boards handle vaping incidents.

• The whereas clauses cite data showing 18.2 percent of Georgia high school students vape and that vaping is the second leading disciplinary incident in Georgia public schools.
• The resolution notes that suspensions of 10 days or more can cut graduation likelihood in half, linking discipline practices to long-term student outcomes.
• The resolved clause urges Georgia schools and boards of education to reject zero tolerance approaches to vaping in favor of alternative-to-suspension programs.
• The resolution identifies specific existing programs, including the Georgia Department of Public Health's Opt-Out Live Vape Free Program, as options schools may use.
• A further resolved clause directs the Clerk of the House to prepare copies for distribution to the public and press.

1. 2026-03-27House Committee Favorably Reported (House)
2. 2026-03-25House Second Readers (House)
3. 2026-03-23House First Readers (House)
4. 2026-03-20House Hopper (House)

• Michelle Au (D, HD-050)Primary sponsor

• student vaping
• school discipline
• e-cigarettes
• public health
• school suspensions