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O.C.G.A. § 20-2-145 — Comprehensive character education program | Georgia Code
O.C.G.A. § 20-2-145 (2018) Copy Cite Official Site Syfertize CourtListener Scholar Amendments

TITLE 20 EDUCATION

Section 2. Elementary and Secondary Education, 20-2-1 through 20-2-2180.

ARTICLE 6 QUALITY BASIC EDUCATION

20-2-145. Comprehensive character education program.

  1. The State Board of Education shall develop by the start of the 1997-1998 school year a comprehensive character education program for levels K-12. This comprehensive character education program shall be known as the "character curriculum" and shall focus on the students' development of the following character traits: courage, patriotism, citizenship, honesty, fairness, respect for others, kindness, cooperation, self-respect, self-control, courtesy, compassion, tolerance, diligence, generosity, punctuality, cleanliness, cheerfulness, school pride, respect for the environment, respect for the creator, patience, creativity, sportsmanship, loyalty, perseverance, and virtue. Such program shall also address, by the start of the 1999-2000 school year, methods of discouraging bullying and violent acts against fellow students. Local boards shall implement such a program in all grade levels at the beginning of the 2000-2001 school year and shall provide opportunities for parental involvement in establishing expected outcomes of the character education program.
  2. The Department of Education shall develop character education program workshops designed for employees of local school systems.

(Code 1981, §20-2-145, enacted by Ga. L. 1997, p. 1386, § 1; Ga. L. 1999, p. 362, § 2; Ga. L. 1999, p. 438, § 2.)

Cross references.

- Designation of official center for character education, § 50-3-79.

Editor's notes.

- Ga. L. 1997, p. 1386, § 1.1, not codified by the General Assembly, provides for severability.

Ga. L. 1999, p. 438, § 1, not codified by the General Assembly, provides that: "This Act shall be known and may be cited as the 'Improved Student Learning Environment and Discipline Act of 1999.'"

Law reviews.

- For article, "Bullying in Public Schools: The Intersection Between the Student's Free Speech Rights and the School's Duty to Protect," see 62 Mercer L. Rev. 407 (2011). For note on 1999 amendment to this Code section, see 16 Ga. St. U.L. Rev. 116 (1999).

OPINIONS OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL

Constitutionality.

- The "respect for the creator" portion of the character education program authorized by O.C.G.A. § 20-2-145 does not violate the separation of church and state provisions of either the state or federal constitution. 2000 Op. Att'y Gen. No. 2000-9.

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