A look at which education bills 'crossed over' this year

Education bills have been a central focus for lawmakers in this legislative session. Several bills, including those banning teachers from introducing “divisive concepts,” have drawn protests. (Sam Gringlas/WABE)

This week marked a pivotal point in Georgia’s legislative session. Crossover Day was March 15. That’s the deadline for bills to pass at least one chamber — the state Senate or the House — to stay alive for the session. This year, education has been a particular focus for lawmakers. Several education bills successfully “crossed over.” Some didn’t. WABE spoke with Atlanta Journal-Constitution state education reporter Ty Tagami to sort through the bills.

“I’ve never seen education be such a priority in an election season,” he said. “Usually there’s always some kind of voucher bill and that’s often the most contentious thing, but [this year] we’ve seen a whole slew of things.”

From bills banning “divisive concepts” from being taught in schools to a so-called Parents’ Bills of Rights, Georgia lawmakers have already voted on dozens of education-related bills. Tagami breaks down which bills are likely to become law and which ones didn’t make the Crossover Day deadline. He goes into more detail during an expanded interview, included here.