---
title: O.C.G.A. § 20-2-319. Prayers prior to athletic event held on the campus of a private school not to be prohibited.
collection: code
id: 20-2-319
cite_as: O.C.G.A. § 20-2-319 (2025)
canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/code/20-2-319
md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/code/20-2-319.md
text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/code/20-2-319/text
source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/api/document/docs/default-source/joint-features-document-library/t20-ch1-2a-(v17)-2022-pdf.pdf?sfvrsn=9db936c6_0#page=499
date: 2025
status: active
corpus_version: 2025-supplement-89aa39ab3c68
license: CC0-1.0
publisher: Georgia Commons, an independent project of Georgia Civic Data. Not the State of Georgia. Not legal advice.
up: https://georgiacommons.org/code/20-2.md
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version: the only printed version
in_force: true
current_through: Including Acts of the 2025 Regular Session of the General Assembly
heading_path: EDUCATION / ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION / QUALITY BASIC EDUCATION / OTHER EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS
---

# O.C.G.A. § 20-2-319. Prayers prior to athletic event held on the campus of a private school not to be prohibited.

(a) No law or regulation of this state shall prohibit or be construed as prohibiting or discouraging a private school from conducting a prayer prior to an athletic event held on the campus of the private school.

(b) No athletic team from any public school in this state shall be prohibited by state law or regulation from participating in an athletic event held on the campus of a private school in this state for the reason that the private school conducts a prayer prior to such athletic event.

(c) No school which receives funding under this article shall participate in, sponsor, or provide coaching staff for interscholastic sports events which are conducted under the authority of, conducted under the rules of, or scheduled by any athletic association which prohibits or discourages a private school from conducting a prayer prior to an athletic event held on the campus of the private school.

(d) As used in this Code section, the term “athletic association” means any association of schools or any other similar organization which acts as an organizing, sanctioning, scheduling, or rule-making body for interscholastic athletic events in which public schools in this state participate.

## History

Code 1981, § 20-2-319, enacted by Ga. L. 2005, p. 658, § 1/HB 678.

## Code Commission Notes

Pursuant to Code Section 28-9-5, in 2005, Code Section 20-2-319, as enacted by Ga. L. 2005, p. 795, § 2, was redesignated as Code Section 20-2-319.1 and Code Section 20-2-319, as enacted by Ga. L. 2005, p. 1511, § 2, was redesignated as Code Section 20-2-319.2.