HB 327 (Reps. Jordan-D, Mitchell-D and Scott-D)

This bill provides a "Bill of Rights" for Georgia teachers by the addition of O.C.G.A. § 20-2-222 and the revision of multiple sections of current code so as not to conflict with the new additions.

New code section 20-2-222 provides the following "rights" as a condition of employement:

1. School board members and administrators shall respect the right of a teacher to exercise independent thought and to express constructive criticism in an appropriate and professional manner.
2. Each teacher shall have the right to associate or not to associate with an educational professional organization or association.
3. Teachers shall not be coerced, threatened, or intimidated to change a student's grade or test score, if in the opinion of the teacher, the student earned such grade or test score; or to provide answers to a question on the assessment before or during the assessment, give unauthorized additional time to take the assessment, indicate to a student taking an assessment that an answer is incorrect and allow a student an opportunity to correct the answer, or otherwise assist a student to take such assessment in a prohibited manner.
4. If in the professional judgement of the teacher, a student needs to be removed from the regular classroom environment because the student's misconduct is materially and substantially disrupting the learning processes of other students, the administrator shall respect the teachers professional judgement.
   1. At a minimum, the student shall not be retured to the classroom on that particular day.
   2. The administrator shall not undermine the teacher's authority in the classroom by questioning the teacher's account of what happened in front of one or more students. 
5. Each teacher has the right to file a grievance about an evaluatin if, in the opinion of the teacher, the evaluation was unfair, false, or retaliation for the exercise of a right granted by this Code section.
6. Each teacher shall be afforded the opportunity to participate in an annual evaluation of each principal and assistant principal at his or her school.  These evaluations shall be :
   1. Conducted in a away as to ensure each teacher's confidentiality and anonymity. 
   2. Forwarded to the superintendent, who shall in turn send copies of all evaluations to each member of the local board of education.
7.  No teacher shall be discriminated against on the basis of the teacher's race, gender, age, relition, nationality, disability, or exercise of the freedom of association.
8. No teacher shall be the object of capricious or arbitrary treatment.
9. Upon transfer to a different school system, a teacher's service in any public school of this state shall receive full credit for the purposes of calculating the teacher's eligibility for any local supplement to salary.
10. The teacher of the year at each school shall be nominated and selected solely by the anonymous votes of the teachers at the school.