SAVANNAH, Ga. — Gov. Brian Kemp is signed a handful of education bills that will affect Georgia schools on Thursday.
He and First Lady Marty Kemp were joined by members of the General Assembly and education leaders from around the state. The legislation focuses on the inclusion of safety, medication and literacy in schools.
According to Gov. Kemp's office, the bills would further strengthen schools in the Peach State. A ceremony was held at the Marriot Riverfront in Savannah where they commemorated the signing of the bills into law.
Before the signing, Gov. Kemp delivered remarks to the Georgia School Superintendents Association Spring Bootstraps Conference.
Here's a list of bills the governor signed into law:
HB 147 - Safe Schools Act
- This bill would focus on providing safety to Georgia schools.
- Schools would have access to certified safety and anti-gang personnel.
- It would also require all public schools in the state to perform intruder alert drills. Parents would be allowed to opt out of the drills if needed.
HB 440 - Ready-to-use glucagon in public and private schools
- The bill will authorize schools to have glucagon ready-to-use on hand.
- According to the National Library of Medicine, glucagon is a medication to treat low blood sugar, or hypoglycemia. It is not a form of insulin because it raises blood sugar levels while insulin decreases it.
HB 538 - Enacting the Georgia Early Literacy Act
- Lawmakers said this bill will approve high-quality teaching materials for grades kindergarten through third grade.
- The legislation would also require appropriate "evidence-based literacy instruction" and a uniform standard of measurement for literacy for child care providers.
- Educators would also receive universal reading screeners for students and more.
SB 45 - Provide treatment for students with epilepsy or seizure disorder
- This bill would allow students to be treated for any and all epilepsy or seizure disorders. It will also get rid of any laws that work against this.
- It would give the parent of a student who has a seizure disorder the opportunity to come up with a seizure action plan if the child needs to be treated.
- The Georgia Department of Education would also be required to come up with training guidelines and model seizure action plans for all schools.
SB 211 - Establishing the Georgia Council on Literacy
- Gov. Kemp will sign the legislation into law that will develop a council that will discuss subject matter with experts.
- It will also require all local school systems to develop five-year literacy plans for grades kindergarten through fifth grade.
- The Georgia Council on Literacy will also replace the Education Coordinating Council with the Alliance of Education Agency Heads.
The signing ceremony officially began Thursday at 9 a.m.
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