New law would tighten policy on 'objectionable materials' - Newnan Times-Herald

A new Georgia law could derail a recent campaign to remove “inappropriate” books from Coweta County public schools.

Currently awaiting Gov. Brian Kemp’s signature, SB 226 includes a timeline for school officials to respond to formal complaints about objectionable materials. It also allows parents and legal guardians to initiate the review process for those materials at the schools their children attend.

Be in the know the moment news happens

While the new law would not affect parents’ rights to formally or informally object to materials in their children’s classrooms or school media centers, it could eliminate provisions in the Coweta County Board of Education’s existing policy that allow any Coweta resident or school employee to initiate the process at any public school in the county.

“SB 226 explicitly places that right to object with parents or legal guardians,” said Dean Jackson, public information officer for the Coweta County School System.

Jackson said under the new legislation, only a parent or legal guardian has the right to challenge what they consider objectionable materials, and only at the school in which their child is enrolled.

Since October of last year, complaints have been made against six specific books available at Coweta middle and high schools, and Jackson said the objections were all made by representatives of political organizations – none of whom would have the standing to participate in the process under SB 226.

He said they represent organizations with “very definite political agendas or points of view.”

“In particular, these same books have been objected to by No Left Turn in Education, which was newly formed in Coweta and other Georgia communities last summer,” Jackson said. “This is part of a trend around our state and nation.”

Xiomara Castro, who heads the local chapter of NLTE, has regularly appeared at board meetings in the past few months, frequently reading excerpts from books containing profanity and references to sexual activity and drug abuse.

The books to which Castro – who does not have children enrolled in Coweta Schools – and her organization objected are currently under review per the school system’s existing “Reconsideration of Materials” policy (IFA-R) .

“We have placed these books under review by media committees at any middle or high school that has a copy in its media center,” Jackson said.

Under current policy, responses to materials challenges are the responsibility of each individual school’s principal and parent/teacher media committees. Those committees review the materials and determine whether they should be restricted or removed.

SB 226 would require some change in timelines, Jackson said, but all of the new legislation’s elements are already present in the current policy.

“The big difference comes in who that policy is extended to,” he said. “Under the new law, it doesn’t appear that people outside of our schools would have standing to bring those challenges. Instead, that formal process would be reserved for actual parents in our schools.”

Coweta school officials are reviewing several other bills that are awaiting Kemp’s signature, and Jackson said Georgia Department of Education guidance will determine how Coweta board policy will be updated to reflect new language passed by the legislature.

That includes HB 1283, which requires daily recess at schools; SB 345, which prohibits requiring COVID-19 vaccines; HB 514, which prohibits requiring face masks; HB 1178, the “Parents’ Bill of Rights”; and HB 1084, the “Divisive Concepts” bill.

“Just looking at the wording of the bills, it doesn’t appear that they will have a significant impact on how we operate our schools or work with our parents and students,” Jackson said.

Daily recess is already in place at all Coweta elementary schools as a matter of policy, he said. The school system has never required vaccines and no longer has any face mask requirements in place.

While “a great deal of debate” surrounded HB 1084, Jackson said its principles seem aimed at protecting student and teacher speech while keeping politics out of the classroom.

“That doesn’t contradict our approach to education at all, as far as we can tell,” he said.

As for HB 1178, its final version doesn’t require anything that isn’t already a policy or practice of the Coweta County School System, according to Jackson.

“We are a student-centered and parent-centered school system,” he said. “We encourage parental involvement and parents’ questions, so the language in this bill is already well-established practice in our schools.”

Georgia’s key K-12 education legislation

The following education-related bills passed in the 2022 session of the Georgia General Assembly. Gov. Brian Kemp has through May 14 to sign or veto bills.

HB 385 (The “Return to Work” bill): From July 1, 2022 to June 30, 2026, 30-year education veterans will be allowed to return to work in specific areas. Effective July 1, 2022.

HB 517: Increases the amounts donors can give to student scholarship organizations so they can give vouchers to private schools and the donor can get a dollar-for-dollar income tax credit. Allows insurance companies to use donations to take care of at least part of their insurance premium taxes. Adds recommendations of the Department of Audits. Effective July 1, 2022. (Increase in tax credits effective Jan. 1, 2023.)

HB 997: Gives a statewide ad valorem exemption on timber equipment if the voters approve it in November. Effective Jan. 1, 2023, if approved by voters.

HB 1084 (The “Divisive Concepts” bill): Requires executive oversight committee for Georgia High School Association (or any other high school association that fits the description) and leaves it up to them to address the question of transgender participation in girls’ sports. Requires a local board complaint resolution policy by Aug. 1, 2022 and details a complaint and appeals process. Effective July 1, 2022.

HB 1178 (The “Parents’ Bill of Rights): Requires a policy or regulation to deal with complaints and appeals. Most of the language is already in law in other places. Effective July 1, 2022.

HB 1215: Charter school bill that requires school districts to have a universal, streamlined transfer process that will allow students to transfer to a charter without penalty. Effective July 1, 2022.

HB 1283 (The “Recess Bill”): Vetoed by Kemp in 2019, prevents local boards of education from prohibiting recess. Effective July 1, 2022.

HB 1292: Allows students who are participating in 4-H events to be counted present. Effective July 1, 2022.

HB 1303: Extends an elementary agricultural education program to all districts willing to fund it and hire an agricultural education teacher to teach it. Effective July 1, 2022.

HB 1461: Requires cities to notify school districts impacted by annexation – in a verifiable way that the effort is underway. Effective July 1, 2022.

SB 152: Adds “courage” to the pledge to the state flag, requiring curriculum that include the pledge to be updated. Effective July 1, 2022.

SB 220: Requires a financial literacy course for 11th and 12th graders and that it be a graduation requirement; allows it to be part of an existing course; and requires the Professional Standards Commission to work around the requirement. Also creates a Georgia Civics Commission that will be repealed Dec. 31, 2028.

SB 226: Addresses the possible distribution of harmful materials to minors. Requires a local board policy by Jan. 1, 2023 and a model policy from the Georgia Department of Education by Sept. 1, 2022. It includes a complaint and appeal process. Effective July 1, 2022.

SB 337: Suspends compensation to public officers when indicted for a felony. When reinstated, the public officer would get back pay. Effective July 1, 2022.

SB 345: Prohibits state and local governments from requiring a COVID-19 vaccine to enter a facility or receive a service. Effective July 1, 2022 and will be repealed June 30, 2023.

SB 514 (The “Unmask Georgia’s Students Act”): requires that any policy, regulation or rule requiring students to wear masks to include a parental opt-out. Kemp has already signed SB 514, which has been in effect since March 29 and will be repealed June 30, 2027.

SB 588: Requires that all local board of education meetings be open to the public unless otherwise allowed by law. Requires local boards to adopt rules of conduct for meetings by Oct. 1, 2022 and adopt them annually by Aug. 1st. Attendees could be removed from meetings only according to those adopted rules. Effective July 1, 2022.

Study Committees

HR 650 creates a House Study Committee on Literacy Instruction.

SR 650 creates a Senate Study Committee to Review Education Funding Mechanisms.

SR 802 creates a Senate Study Committee on Transparency in High School Athletic Associations.

(Summaries provided by the Georgia School Boards Association.)

source: https://times-herald.com/news/2022/04/new-school-law-would-tighten-existing-policy-on-objectionable-materials

Your content is great. However, if any of the content contained herein violates any rights of yours, including those of copyright, please contact us immediately by e-mail at media[@]kissrpr.com.