State Legislative Priorities
Georgia PTA serves to strengthen collective voices to educate, empower, and engage families and communities to advocate on statewide issues that affect the lives of our children. The legislative priorities are based on child related education and safety policy issues surveyed by the members of Georgia PTA.
Georgia PTA 2016-17 state legislative priorities include:
- Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Support efforts to reform the State’s juvenile justice system to protect children involved in the juvenile justice system and ensures that the Georgia Department of Juvenile Justice receives adequate funding to implement research-based programs, sound education practices and the computation of supportive data-driven outcomes that shape and redirect the lives of youthful offenders required by the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act (“JJDPA”)
- Education Technology and Student Data Support the promotion of privacy and security policies that maintain the confidentiality of sensitive data that students and families provide to educational institutions, as well as the data that is collected while using online education products and services; and ensures that families are informed on policies regarding the use of technology in schools and their legal rights under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (“FERPA”) and the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (“COPPA”).
- Education for Homeless Children and Youth Support legislation to ensure children and youth in foster care and those who are homeless, as defined by Title 42 U.S. Code § 11434(a), have a meaningful opportunity to meet state academic achievement standards, and encourage educators, juvenile courts, and certain other persons to work together and ensure homeless children and youth have access to the same free, appropriate public education, including public pre-school education, academic resources and services, and extracurricular and enrichment activities available to all children and youth pursuant to the guidelines of the Education for Homeless Children and Youth Programs: Title VII-B of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act as amended by the Every Student Succeeds Act (“ESSA”).
- Gun Safety and Violence Prevention Support legislation that provides strict gun safety policies on school premises to maintain a safe learning and home environment for all children and youth; educate parents, children, youth, and communities about the importance of gun safety and awareness to prevent violence and harm and prohibit children and youth access to firearms.
- Corporal Punishment in Schools Oppose corporal punishment in schools and study the problem of discipline in the public schools, including the high percentage of students with special needs receiving corporal punishment, to support the implementation of alternative discipline programs to provide an orderly climate for learning that promotes courtesy, respect for rights of faculty, administration and other students; promote the elevation of ethical and moral standards; and promote the involvement of parents in the school discipline policies.
The Georgia PTA Board of Directors approved on 10/15/16.
