ATLANTA – Gov. Brian Kemp Thursday signed five education bills into law, including measures aimed at bolstering school safety and improving literacy.
“These bills will help improve literacy in our state and ensure our schools have the resources they need to provide a safe and healthy learning environment for both students and teachers,” Kemp said.
“As governor, and as a father of three daughters, I want to make sure every Georgia student can take part in the unprecedented opportunity here in the Peach State.”
Kemp signed into law the Safe Schools Act, a key part of his legislative agenda this year. The new law requires all public schools to conduct an “intruder alert drill” by Oct. 1 of each school year. It also creates a voluntary school safety and anti-gang endorsement that teachers and other school employees can earn by completing a training program.
Kemp also signed two bills aimed at improving early literacy in Georgia.
The Georgia Early Literacy Act, sponsored by Rep. Bethany Ballard, R-Warner Robins, a former teacher, aims to improve the quality of early reading instruction.
The new law will require schools to screen students from kindergarten to third grade on their reading proficiency three times a year. Students who are identified as falling behind in reading will receive an individual reading improvement plan within 30 days of being identified followed by intensive reading intervention until they catch up.
School systems will also be required to amp up training of teachers in “the science of reading” – a method of teaching reading that draws on evidence from psychology and neuroscience and includes phonics instruction.
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