by Nyamekye Daniel, The Center Square | May 07, 2021 06:00 PM Print this article
Gov. Brian Kemp signed a trio of bills Thursday to expand education options in Georgia.
Senate Bill 47 expands the state s Special Needs Scholarship program to students with 504 Plans. The program offers scholarships for students with individualized education plans to attend a private school or a public school of their choice. COVID-19 has certainly highlighted the challenges that families face and finding the right education for their child, especially those with special needs, Kemp said Thursday during a bill signing ceremony at the state Capitol. This bill will give more parents greater options to ensure their child has every opportunity to achieve their dreams.
Kemp to sign family, school-centered bills into law The governor is slated to sign the bills at 3:30 p.m. (Source: WTOC) By WALB News Team | May 6, 2021 at 3:07 PM EDT - Updated May 6 at 3:07 PM
ALBANY, Ga. (WALB) - Gov. Brian Kemp is set to sign more bills into law Thursday afternoon.
The governor is slated to sign the bills at 3:30 p.m.
Here’s what he is signing:
HB 128:
SB 42:
This bill allows homeschool students to participate in public school athletics if they participate in one course either online, in-person or dual enrollment and ensures transparency of student discipline in a school climate rating.
Committee Reports
House Education Committee
The House Education Committee, chaired by Representative Matt Dubnik (R-Gainesville), met to consider the following legislation today:
SB 59, authored by Senator John Albers (R-Alpharetta), amends Title 20 relating to funding for local charter schools and charter systems. The bill changes the percentages for calculating FTE funding under Code Section 20-2-165.1, and also requires certain federal fund allocation and facility usage or stipends for local charter schools by local education agencies.
Senator Albers presented the bill to the Committee, and the Georgia School Board Association and Georgia Association of Educational Leaders expressed concerns about Section 5 of the bill. Chairman Dubnik held the bill to ensure the language is correct and noted that he intends to act on the bill at the next meeting.
What began as a promising 2020 sports year in Walton County came to an abrupt halt just three months in as a worldwide pandemic forced the cancelation of seasons and shortened the careers of prep athletes. Nonetheless, there were many memorable moments, including championships, notable victories, and coaching changes. Following, in no particular order, is The Walton Tribuneâs list of the Top 10 sports stories for 2020.
COVID shutdown.
Much like the JFK assassination or 9/11, most will remember where they were and what they were doing in mid-March when the realization hit that our lives were in for a drastic change. When March Madness, the NCAAâs beloved basketball tournament was cancelled, local players, coaches, and fans knew it was only a matter of time before their programs were shutdown. The final local spring sports contest, a baseball game between Loganville and Oconee County, was held on March 16. On April 2, the Georgia High School Association announced the cessat