HB 133: Student Character Development Act; enact

HB 133, called the Student Character Development Act, adds a new section to Georgia's compulsory attendance law (O.C.G.A. Title 20, Chapter 2). It would let local school districts (called local education agencies) adopt a policy allowing students to be excused from school for at least one hour per week to attend a released time course, meaning religious moral instruction taught by an outside person or organization, not the school itself. Parents must give written consent, the outside group must keep attendance records and take responsibility for the student during the course, and transportation is generally the family's job unless the sponsoring group arranges it with parental consent. Courses can't be held on school property except under neutral rules open to any community group, and districts can spend only minimal administrative money on them. Districts may also award academic credit for the courses using secular, non-religious grading criteria, and instructors must pass a criminal records check. Students in these courses can't be marked absent. The law would take effect as soon as the Governor signs it.

• Lets local school districts adopt a policy allowing students to leave school at least one hour a week to attend outside religious moral instruction courses.
• Requires written parental consent, attendance record-sharing, and criminal records checks for instructors before a district can run such a program.
• Bars students in these courses from being counted as absent and limits school spending on the programs to minimal administrative costs.
• Allows districts to award academic credit for completed courses using secular grading criteria unrelated to religious content.
• Shields districts and school employees from civil liability for injuries during private transportation to or from the courses.
• Directs the Department of Education to help districts keep full state and federal funding regardless of how many students participate, and to write model policies.

Public school students and their parents, local school districts and their staff, outside religious or community organizations that would run the courses, course instructors subject to criminal background checks, and the Georgia Department of Education, which must issue model policies and protect district funding.

If adopted by a district, students could regularly leave school for outside religious instruction without being marked absent or losing academic credit, while parents handle transportation and consent. Districts get liability protection and funding guarantees, potentially reshaping how released time programs are run statewide.

• Section 1 names the law the 'Student Character Development Act.'
• Section 2 adds new Code Section 20-2-692.4, defining 'released time course' as religious moral instruction provided independently of the public school.
• Subsection (b) lists required policy conditions: parental consent, attendance recordkeeping, transportation responsibility, sponsor liability assumption, minimal district spending, off-campus location unless neutral access policy applies, and student responsibility for missed work.
• Subsection (c) requires a criminal records check for anyone providing a released time course.
• Subsection (d) allows districts to award academic credit using secular criteria such as instruction hours, syllabus review, assessment methods, and instructor qualifications.
• Subsection (e) grants districts and employees immunity from civil liability for injuries during private transportation to these courses.
• Subsection (f) states that students attending a released time course are not considered absent from school.
• Subsection (g) directs the Department of Education to protect districts' state and federal funding levels and to create model policies.

1. 2025-04-04House Withdrawn, Recommitted (Cámara de Representantes)
2. 2025-03-06House Committee Favorably Reported By Substitute (Cámara de Representantes)
3. 2025-01-29House Second Readers (Cámara de Representantes)
4. 2025-01-28House First Readers (Cámara de Representantes)
5. 2025-01-27House Hopper (Cámara de Representantes)

• David Clark (R, HD-100)Patrocinador principal
• Scott Hilton (R, HD-048)
• James Burchett (R, HD-176)
• Mack Jackson (D, HD-128)
• Matthew Gambill (R, HD-015)
• Johnny Chastain (R, HD-007)

• religious instruction in schools
• school attendance policy
• academic credit
• local education agencies
• student character development