Georgia House Bill HB972

Georgia 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 1/14/26

Caption

Education; require written notice to parents and guardians of students in grades four through eight at least twice each school year stating whether such student has attained grade level reading proficiency

Summary

HB972 would require each local board of education and other public school governing body in Georgia to adopt a policy, beginning in the 2026-2027 school year, to send written notice to the parent or guardian of every student in grades four through eight stating whether the student has attained grade-level reading proficiency. The notice must be provided at least twice each school year. The bill is narrowly focused on parent notification and does not itself create a new reading assessment or intervention program; instead, it uses existing proficiency determinations to trigger communication with families. The measure amends the Georgia Code provisions governing educational programs under the Quality Basic Education Act by adding a new section, O.C.G.A. 20-2-153.2. It would impose a statewide requirement on local school systems and other public school governing bodies to establish and implement the notification policy, while also repealing conflicting laws. In practical terms, the bill would affect school districts, administrators, and parents of students in grades 4 through 8 by formalizing regular reporting on reading proficiency.

Impact

HB972 would change state education law by adding a new statutory duty for public school governing bodies to notify parents or guardians twice each school year about whether students in grades four through eight are reading at grade level. The bill would not alter the definition of reading proficiency or mandate new testing, but it would require districts to create policies and procedures to ensure compliance starting in the 2026-2027 school year. Its main impact would be on local school administration and family communication around literacy progress.

Sentiment

Based on the bill text and available context, the bill appears to be framed as a straightforward education accountability and parent-information measure, with no recorded committee debate or votes showing opposition or amendment activity. The sponsorship by multiple representatives suggests some level of support, and the bill’s limited scope indicates it is designed to be a relatively noncontroversial transparency requirement. Because no transcripts or vote history are available, the overall sentiment can only be characterized as neutral to supportive by implication.

Contention

No specific points of contention are documented in the available materials. Potential areas of debate, if raised, would likely concern the administrative burden on school systems, the cost of implementing and tracking notices, and whether twice-yearly written notices meaningfully improve literacy outcomes or simply add reporting requirements. Another possible issue is how districts would determine and communicate grade-level reading proficiency consistently across schools and grades, but no stakeholder objections are recorded here.