---
title: O.C.G.A. § 20-2-982. Purpose.
collection: code
id: 20-2-982
cite_as: O.C.G.A. § 20-2-982 (2025)
canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/code/20-2-982
md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/code/20-2-982.md
text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/code/20-2-982/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=805
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
previous: https://georgiacommons.org/code/20-2-981.md
next: https://georgiacommons.org/code/20-2-982.1.md
index: https://georgiacommons.org/code/index.md
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 / TEACHERS AND OTHER SCHOOL PERSONNEL / PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS
---

# O.C.G.A. § 20-2-982. Purpose.

The following constitute the major purposes of this part:

(1) To simplify and make more efficient the process of certifying educational personnel in Georgia;

(2) To attract the highest possible number of qualified personnel to become educators in Georgia;

(3) To promote the hiring of qualified educators from other states to work in Georgia schools;

(4) To improve the level of preparation of educators, both pre-service and in-service, by requiring for purposes of certification those essential skills and that knowledge needed to deliver effective education;

(5) To adopt standards of professional performance and a code of professional ethics for educators, both of which shall represent standards of performance and conduct which are generally accepted by educators of this state;

(6) To investigate reports of specified criminal conduct, violations of professional or ethical codes of conduct, and violations of certain rules, regulations, and policies by school system educators;

(7) To enforce the requirement that local school systems promptly report specified criminal conduct of school system educators to the commission; and

(8) To impose disciplinary action or a denial of a certificate against an educator.

## History

Code 1981, § 20-2-982, enacted by Ga. L. 1991, p. 1546, § 1; Ga. L. 1998, p. 750, § 3.

## Code Commission Notes

Pursuant to Code Section 28-9-5, in 1991, the subsection “(a)” designation was deleted at the beginning of this Code section, since there is no subsection (b).