From cell phones to college costs, education bills loom in 2026 session

During the 2025 legislative session, several laws were passed that impacted schools, including a massive school safety bill, a law that prohibits transgender girls from participating in girls’ sports and legislation that requires elementary and middle schools to implement restrictions of personal devices in classrooms.

The 2026 legislative session approaches with potential legislation that could significantly impact schools from elementary to higher education. The session will begin Jan. 12 with bills officially being filed on that date.

Cell phone and technology use

The Senate study committee on combatting chronic absenteeism recommended banning cell phone use in high schools as well.

Two Marietta schools that have implemented a cell phone ban reported transformative results, saying teachers are less stressed, students have had better learning outcomes and less instances of bullying have been reported.

The Senate study committee on the impact of social media and artificial intelligence on children also recommended extending cell phone restrictions to high school students as well as funding digital literacy education and increasing student access to technology free spaces.

Measures to reduce chronic absenteeism

Chronic absenteeism refers to students who miss around 18 days of school, or 10% or more of the school year. The Senate study committee recommends measures to reduce absenteeism, including barring students from participating in extracurricular activities or temporarily suspending their driver’s licenses or permits. The goal of such measures is to encourage students to enter into an approved attendance improvement plan.

SB 123, which prevents schools from expelling students who are chronically absent, passed the legislature last year. The bill also required schools to develop policies to reduce chronic absenteeism.

Higher education measures

Efforts to reduce the cost of higher education might also make it to the General Assembly this spring. The Senate committee on higher education affordability recommended the state implement a need-based aid program for college students.

Georgia is one of only two states that does not fund need-based financial aid for college students.

The committee recommended that the program be funded through proceeds from the Georgia Lottery, which the committee said has $1.7 billion in unrestricted reserves.

In 2025, some bills concerning education were either passed by one chamber and not the other or were tabled. These bills could reappear in the 2026 session. Both of the bills below are considered zombie bills, meaning lawmakers used a loophole to get their bills to the floor after they stalled.

• HB 127: This bill would have cut state and state-administered federal funding for schools and universities with diversity, equity and inclusion policies or programs. The original bill, SB 120, did not make it past Crossover Day, so the Senate Committee on Education and Youth passed a substitute to HB 127, a bill that would raise teacher sick days from three to five days.
• HB 483: Another zombie bill, the Senate Rules Committee passed a substitute to HB 483 to include key provisions in SB 74. The bill would have opened up librarians to criminal charges for allowing minors access to material deemed explicit under Georgia’s obscenity law. However, the bill still failed to advance in 2025.