| 11 | | - | assigned; to provide that school chaplains need not be certificated professional personnel; to6 |
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| 12 | | - | amend Code Section 19-15-1 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to7 |
|---|
| 13 | | - | definitions concerning child abuse, so as to include school chaplains in the definition of8 |
|---|
| 14 | | - | "child protection professional"; to amend Code Section 49-5-41 of the Official Code of9 |
|---|
| 15 | | - | Georgia Annotated, relating to persons and agencies permitted access to records, so as to10 |
|---|
| 16 | | - | authorize school chaplains to review records of reports of child abuse; to provide for related11 |
|---|
| 17 | | - | matters; to provide for a short title; to provide for an effective date; to repeal conflicting12 |
|---|
| 18 | | - | laws; and for other purposes.13 |
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| 19 | | - | BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:14 |
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| 20 | | - | SECTION 1.15 |
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| 21 | | - | This Act shall be known and may be cited as the "School Chaplains Act."16 |
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| 22 | | - | - 1 - 24 LC 55 0248S |
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| 23 | | - | SECTION 2.17 |
|---|
| 24 | | - | Code Section 19-15-1 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to definitions18 |
|---|
| 25 | | - | concerning child abuse, is amended by revising paragraph (5) as follows:19 |
|---|
| 26 | | - | "(5) 'Child protection professional' means any person who is employed by the state or a20 |
|---|
| 27 | | - | political subdivision of the state as a law enforcement officer, school teacher, school21 |
|---|
| 28 | | - | administrator, or school counselor, or school chaplain or who is employed to render22 |
|---|
| 29 | | - | services to children by the Department of Public Health, the Department of Behavioral23 |
|---|
| 30 | | - | Health and Developmental Disabilities, or the Department of Human Services or any24 |
|---|
| 31 | | - | county board of health, community service board, or county department of family and25 |
|---|
| 32 | | - | children services."26 |
|---|
| 33 | | - | SECTION 3.27 |
|---|
| 34 | | - | Code Section 20-2-182 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to program28 |
|---|
| 35 | | - | weights to reflect funds for payment of salaries and benefits, maximum class size, reporting29 |
|---|
| 36 | | - | requirements, and application to specific school years, is amended by revising subsection (c)30 |
|---|
| 37 | | - | as follows:31 |
|---|
| 38 | | - | "(c)(1) The program weights for the kindergarten, kindergarten early intervention,32 |
|---|
| 39 | | - | primary, primary grades early intervention, upper elementary, upper elementary grades33 |
|---|
| 40 | | - | early intervention, middle school, and alternative education programs and the program34 |
|---|
| 41 | | - | weights for the high school programs authorized pursuant to paragraph (4) of35 |
|---|
| 42 | | - | subsection (b) of Code Section 20-2-151, when multiplied by the base amount, shall36 |
|---|
| 43 | | - | reflect sufficient funds to pay the beginning salaries for at least one school counselor for37 |
|---|
| 44 | | - | every 450 full-time equivalent students. Beginning in Fiscal Year 2015 and thereafter,38 |
|---|
| 45 | | - | the program weights for the English for speakers of other languages program and the39 |
|---|
| 46 | | - | programs for persons with disabilities shall also earn school counselor funding. Further,40 |
|---|
| 47 | | - | beginning in Fiscal Year 2016 and thereafter, the program weights for the program for41 |
|---|
| 48 | | - | intellectually gifted students and the remedial education program shall also earn school42 |
|---|
| 49 | | - | - 2 - 24 LC 55 0248S |
|---|
| 50 | | - | counselor funding. The duties and responsibilities for such school counselors shall be43 |
|---|
| 51 | | - | established by the state board to require a minimum of five of the six full-time equivalent44 |
|---|
| 52 | | - | program count segments of the counselor's time to be spent counseling or advising45 |
|---|
| 53 | | - | students or parents.46 |
|---|
| 54 | | - | (2)(A) As used in the paragraph, the term 'chaplain' means a clergy member who is47 |
|---|
| 55 | | - | trained to serve in a secular environment; provided, however, that such term shall not48 |
|---|
| 56 | | - | include any person who is a satanist.49 |
|---|
| 57 | | - | (B) Notwithstanding any provision of paragraph (1) of this subsection or any other law50 |
|---|
| 58 | | - | to the contrary, a local school system or public school shall be authorized to employ or51 |
|---|
| 59 | | - | accept as a volunteer a school chaplain to provide ancillary support, services, and52 |
|---|
| 60 | | - | programs for students as assigned by the local school superintendent or the local board53 |
|---|
| 61 | | - | of education or other public school governing body. A school chaplain employed or54 |
|---|
| 62 | | - | accepted as a volunteer under this subsection is not required to be a certificated55 |
|---|
| 63 | | - | professional personnel or otherwise subject to any rule or regulation of the Professional56 |
|---|
| 64 | | - | Standards Commission.57 |
|---|
| 65 | | - | (C) No later than December 31, 2024, each local board of education or other public58 |
|---|
| 66 | | - | school governing body shall vote in public on whether to adopt a policy authorizing the59 |
|---|
| 67 | | - | employment of school chaplains."60 |
|---|
| 68 | | - | SECTION 4.61 |
|---|
| 69 | | - | Code Section 49-5-41 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to persons and62 |
|---|
| 70 | | - | agencies permitted access to records, is amended by revising paragraph (10) of subsection63 |
|---|
| 71 | | - | (c) as follows:64 |
|---|
| 72 | | - | "(10) Any school principal or any school guidance counselor, school social worker, or65 |
|---|
| 73 | | - | school psychologist who is certified under Chapter 2 of Title 20, or school chaplain and66 |
|---|
| 74 | | - | who is counseling a student as a part of such counseling person's school employment67 |
|---|
| 75 | | - | duties, but those records shall remain confidential and information obtained therefrom by68 |
|---|
| 76 | | - | - 3 - 24 LC 55 0248S |
|---|
| 77 | | - | that counseling person may not be disclosed to any person, except that student, not69 |
|---|
| 78 | | - | authorized under this Code section to obtain those records, and such unauthorized70 |
|---|
| 79 | | - | disclosure shall be punishable as a misdemeanor;"71 |
|---|
| 80 | | - | SECTION 5.72 |
|---|
| 81 | | - | This Act shall become effective upon its approval by the Governor or upon its becoming law73 |
|---|
| 82 | | - | without such approval.74 |
|---|
| 83 | | - | SECTION 6.75 |
|---|
| 84 | | - | All laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are repealed.76 |
|---|
| 85 | | - | - 4 - |
|---|
| 13 | + | assigned; to authorize school chaplains to be employed or accepted as volunteers in addition6 |
|---|
| 14 | + | to or in lieu of school counselors and to authorize school chaplains to perform duties of7 |
|---|
| 15 | + | school counselors; to provide that school chaplains need not be certificated professional8 |
|---|
| 16 | + | personnel; to provide for an effective date; to provide for related matters; to provide for a9 |
|---|
| 17 | + | short title; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.10 |
|---|
| 18 | + | BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:11 |
|---|
| 19 | + | SECTION 1.12 |
|---|
| 20 | + | This Act shall be known and may be cited as the "School Chaplains Act."13 |
|---|
| 21 | + | S. B. 379 |
|---|
| 22 | + | - 1 - 24 LC 49 1563 |
|---|
| 23 | + | SECTION 2. |
|---|
| 24 | + | 14 |
|---|
| 25 | + | Code Section 20-2-182 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to program15 |
|---|
| 26 | + | weights to reflect funds for payment of salaries and benefits, maximum class size, reporting16 |
|---|
| 27 | + | requirements, and application to specific school years, is amended by revising subsection (c)17 |
|---|
| 28 | + | as follows:18 |
|---|
| 29 | + | "(c)(1) |
|---|
| 30 | + | The program weights for the kindergarten, kindergarten early intervention,19 |
|---|
| 31 | + | primary, primary grades early intervention, upper elementary, upper elementary grades20 |
|---|
| 32 | + | early intervention, middle school, and alternative education programs and the program21 |
|---|
| 33 | + | weights for the high school programs authorized pursuant to paragraph (4) of22 |
|---|
| 34 | + | subsection (b) of Code Section 20-2-151, when multiplied by the base amount, shall23 |
|---|
| 35 | + | reflect sufficient funds to pay the beginning salaries for at least one school counselor for24 |
|---|
| 36 | + | every 450 full-time equivalent students. Beginning in Fiscal Year 2015 and thereafter,25 |
|---|
| 37 | + | the program weights for the English for speakers of other languages program and the26 |
|---|
| 38 | + | programs for persons with disabilities shall also earn school counselor funding. Further,27 |
|---|
| 39 | + | beginning in Fiscal Year 2016 and thereafter, the program weights for the program for28 |
|---|
| 40 | + | intellectually gifted students and the remedial education program shall also earn school29 |
|---|
| 41 | + | counselor funding. The duties and responsibilities for such school counselors shall be30 |
|---|
| 42 | + | established by the state board to require a minimum of five of the six full-time equivalent31 |
|---|
| 43 | + | program count segments of the counselor's time to be spent counseling or advising32 |
|---|
| 44 | + | students or parents.33 |
|---|
| 45 | + | (2) Notwithstanding any provision of paragraph (1) of this subsection or any other law34 |
|---|
| 46 | + | to the contrary, a local school system or public school shall be authorized to employ or35 |
|---|
| 47 | + | accept as a volunteer a school chaplain to provide support, services, and programs for36 |
|---|
| 48 | + | students as assigned by the local school superintendent or the local board of education or37 |
|---|
| 49 | + | other public school governing body. Such school chaplains may be employed or accepted38 |
|---|
| 50 | + | as volunteers in addition to or in lieu of employing school counselors to perform the39 |
|---|
| 51 | + | duties required of a school counselor under this chapter and as provided for in Code40 |
|---|
| 52 | + | S. B. 379 |
|---|
| 53 | + | - 2 - 24 LC 49 1563 |
|---|
| 54 | + | Sections 19-15-1 and 49-5-41. A school chaplain employed or accepted as a volunteer41 |
|---|
| 55 | + | under this subsection is not required to be a certificated professional personnel."42 |
|---|
| 56 | + | SECTION 3.43 |
|---|
| 57 | + | This Act shall become effective upon its approval by the Governor or upon its becoming law44 |
|---|
| 58 | + | without such approval.45 |
|---|
| 59 | + | SECTION 4.46 |
|---|
| 60 | + | All laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are repealed.47 |
|---|
| 61 | + | S. B. 379 |
|---|
| 62 | + | - 3 - |
|---|