This bill would amend Chapter 2 of the O.C.G.A. to allow voluntary student expression of religious viewpoints in public schools. LEA’s would be prohibited from discrimination against students or their parents for their religious viewpoint or expression. Such viewpoints would have to be treated as any otherwise permissible subject. Religious beliefs could be expressed in coursework, artwork and other written and oral assignments; and those assignments would be judged by ordinary academic standards.

Students would be allowed to pray or engage in religious activities or expression before, during and after the school day just as they would in any other activity or expression. Religious groups would be given the same access to facilities for assembling as given other groups, including advertising meetings. A school would be allowed to disclaim school sponsorship of non-curricular religious groups and events as long as it does not favor or disfavor those groups. Students would be able to wear clothing, accessories, and jewelry that display religious messages or symbols in the same manner that other types of articles are permitted.

LEA’s would be required to adopt a policy to establish a limited forum for student speakers at all school events at which a student is to publically speak. That policy would have to:

1. Provide a forum in a manner that does not discriminate against the student’s viewpoint;

2. Provide a method on neutral criteria for selection of student speakers at school events and graduation ceremonies;

3. Ensure that the speaker does not engage in obscene, vulgar, offensively lewd, or indecent speech; and

4. Authorize the LEA to state in written or oral form at all limited public forums that the student’s speech does not reflect the school system’s endorsement, etc.