Georgia House Bill HB1123

Georgia 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 2/2/26
• Report Pass: 2/20/26
• Engrossed: 2/24/26
• Refer: 2/25/26
• Report Pass: 3/12/26
• Enrolled: 4/6/26
• Chaptered: 5/5/26
• Passed: 5/5/26

Caption

Quality Basic Education Act; require certain schools that offer after-school programs to make such programs available to pre-kindergarten students

Summary

HB 1123 amends Georgia’s Quality Basic Education Act to require certain public schools that operate after-school programs to make those programs available to students enrolled in the school’s Georgia Pre-K program on the same basis as other students. The requirement applies only to “qualifying schools,” meaning public schools that serve kindergarten, primary grades, or upper elementary grades and also operate one or more pre-kindergarten programs as part of Georgia’s Pre-K Program. The bill takes effect beginning with the 2026-2027 school year. It also creates a limited waiver process: the Department of Early Care and Learning may waive the requirement for up to one school year at a time if a qualifying school submits a written request explaining extenuating circumstances. Schools seeking relief for additional years must reapply each year. The bill repeals conflicting laws and is framed as a targeted change to school program access rather than a broader overhaul of early childhood education.

Impact

HB 1123 adds a new statutory requirement to Title 20, Chapter 2, Part 14 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated by reserving and then filling Code Section 20-2-308. It expands access to school-based after-school programs for pre-kindergarten students in qualifying public schools and gives the Department of Early Care and Learning authority to grant short-term waivers. The practical effect is to place pre-K students on equal footing with other students for participation in after-school offerings at covered schools, subject to limited administrative exceptions.

Sentiment

The bill appears to have been broadly supported and noncontroversial. It passed the House unanimously, 160-0, and the Senate unanimously, 43-0, indicating strong bipartisan agreement on the policy goal of expanding after-school access for pre-K students. No committee transcript material was provided, and the recorded votes suggest little to no organized opposition.

Contention

No notable substantive contention is reflected in the available record. The only built-in point of flexibility is the waiver provision, which suggests lawmakers anticipated that some schools might face logistical or operational constraints in serving pre-K students in after-school programs. Any potential concerns would likely center on implementation burdens, staffing, age-appropriate supervision, or capacity at individual schools, but no specific objections are documented in the provided materials.