---
title: O.C.G.A. § 20-2-989.20. No teacher to be required or coerced into changing student grades; ethical violation; change of grade by person other than classroom teacher.
collection: code
id: 20-2-989.20
cite_as: O.C.G.A. § 20-2-989.20 (2025)
canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/code/20-2-989.20
md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/code/20-2-989.20.md
text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/code/20-2-989.20/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=828
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.
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previous: https://georgiacommons.org/code/20-2-989.11.md
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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 / GRADE INTEGRITY
---

# O.C.G.A. § 20-2-989.20. No teacher to be required or coerced into changing student grades; ethical violation; change of grade by person other than classroom teacher.

(a) No classroom teacher shall be required, coerced, intimidated, or disciplined in any manner by the local board of education, superintendent, or any local school administrator to change the grade of a student. This subsection shall not apply when a teacher has failed to comply with grading policies or rules adopted by the local board of education or written procedures established by an individual school that are applicable to the grading process, unless such policy, rule, or procedure would require a student be given a grade different than the actual grade achieved. A violation of this Code section shall constitute an ethics violation reportable to the Professional Standards Commission pursuant to Part 10 of this article.

(b) Nothing in this Code section shall be construed to prevent a principal or other local school administrator from discussing the grade of a student with a classroom teacher.

(c) Nothing in this Code section shall be construed to prevent a central office administrator, superintendent, or local school administrator from changing a student’s grade. Any grade change made by a person other than the classroom teacher must be clearly indicated in the student’s school records and must indicate the person responsible for making such grade change.

## History

Code 1981, § 20-2-989.20, enacted by Ga. L. 2007, p. 253, § 2/SB 9.