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The race is on. The final day of the 2024 session of the Georgia General Assembly is a little more than a week away, and lawmakers are working to get their bills passed – particularly several education bills.

Two bills – both by state Sen. Jason Anavitarte, R-Dallas, – made it through the House Education Committee Monday and are now in Rules to be scheduled for a full vote.

SB 351, the “Protecting Georgia’s Children on Social Media Act,” would require local school boards to create social media policies prohibiting students from accessing social media through school-owned devices or internet services. Under this legislation, the policies would be reviewed by the State Board of Education – who may withhold funding from non-compliant schools and districts. Local boards must also expand their policies on bullying to include provisions for cyberbullying.

According to Anavitarte, the bill requires social media companies to verify user ages and prevent minors from holding social media accounts without parental consent. The current version of SB 351 now includes language from HB 910 by Rep. Rick Jasperse, R-Jasper, which requires identity and age verification to access pornographic websites.

SB 351 is on the priority list for Lt. Gov. Burt Jones. “I will never apologize in the fight to protect Georgia’s youth. Social media can be a very useful tool, however there are instances in which we must reign in Big Tech in order to protect the health and safety of our children,” said Jones after the bill passed the Senate.

SB 32 or “Alyssa’s Law,” also by Anavitarte, requires school districts to implement a mobile panic alert system capable of connecting in real-time to local law enforcement. The bill was updated to allow for technology already used by the Georgia Emergency Management Agency (GEMA) in school systems to meet the requirement.

The House Higher Education Committee heard SB 390 by Sen. Larry Walker III, R-Perry, but did not take a vote on the proposed legislation. This bill prohibits city, county, and regional library trustees and the State University System of Georgia from using any public or privately donated funds on any materials, services, or operations offered by the American Library Association (ALA) and its affiliates.

The updated version of the bill does allow funds to be allocated for the certification of degree programs. Many Democrats pushed back on legislating against specific organizations based on political ideology.

The House did approve one education bill that now moves back to the Senate for an agree on the changes.

SB 440 by state Sen. Matt Brass, R-Newnan, establishes the Accelerated Career Diploma Program and outlines requirements for students to receive a related high school diploma. This includes requirements to complete an associate degree in a program included on the High-Demand Career List published by the State Workforce Development Board. SB 440 also requires all students to complete at least a half-credit course in the foundations of algebra.