Georgia Code
Part 1 - Short Title and Purpose
§ 20-2-133. Free Public Instruction; Exceptions; Eligibility; Procedure and Requirements When Child in Custody of or in a Placement or Facility of a State Agency

and who is physically present within the geographical area served by a local unit of administration for any length of time is eligible for enrollment in the educational programs of that local unit of administration; provided, however, that the child meets the age eligibility requirements established by this article. Except for children who are committed to the Department of Juvenile Justice and receiving education services under Code Section 20-2-2084.1, the local unit of administration of the school district in which such child is present shall be responsible for the provision of all educational programs, including special education and related services, at no charge so long as the child is physically present in the school district.
History. Code 1981, § 20-2-133 , enacted by Ga. L. 1987, p. 1169, § 1; Ga. L. 1988, p. 612, § 4; Ga. L. 1989, p. 1693, § 1; Ga. L. 1991, p. 1825, § 1; Ga. L. 1992, p. 1983, § 20; Ga. L. 1997, p. 1453, § 1; Ga. L. 1998, p. 1582, § 1; Ga. L. 1999, p. 296, § 24; Ga. L. 2000, p. 618, § 96; Ga. L. 2006, p. 1052, § 1/SB 618; Ga. L. 2009, p. 453, § 2-2/HB 228; Ga. L. 2010, p. 286, § 15/SB 244; Ga. L. 2013, p. 187, § 1/SB 115; Ga. L. 2013, p. 294, § 4-32/HB 242; Ga. L. 2016, p. 443, § 2-1/SB 367; Ga. L. 2018, p. 330, § 1/HB 853.
The 2016 amendment, effective July 1, 2016, in paragraph (b)(1), substituted “Except for children who are committed to the Department of Juvenile Justice and receiving education services under Code Section 20-2-2084.1, the” for “The” at the beginning of the second sentence, made a minor capitalization change, and added the proviso at the end of the last sentence; and, in paragraph (b)(8), inserted “the State Charter Schools Commission,” near the beginning and inserted “State Charter Schools Commission,” near the middle.
The 2018 amendment, effective July 1, 2018, in subsection (a), substituted “described in subparagraph (A) of paragraph (1) of subsection (b) of this Code section” for “in a placement operated by the Department of Human Services or the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities or for which payment is made by the Department of Juvenile Justice, the Department of Human Services or any of its divisions, or the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities and no child who is in the physical or legal custody of the Department of Juvenile Justice, under the care or physical or legal custody of the Department of Human Services or any of its divisions, or under the physical custody of the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities” in the middle of the third sentence; substituted the present provisions of paragraph (b)(1) for the former provisions, which read: “Any child, except a child in a secure residential facility as defined in Code Section 15-11-2, as specifically provided in this paragraph, who is in the physical or legal custody of the Department of Juvenile Justice or the Department of Human Services; in a placement operated by the Department of Human Services or the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities; or in a facility or placement paid for by the Department of Juvenile Justice, the Department of Human Services or any of its divisions, or the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities and who is physically present within the geographical area served by a local unit of administration for any length of time is eligible for enrollment in the educational programs of that local unit of administration; provided, however, that the child meets the age eligibility requirements established by this article. Except for children who are committed to the Department of Juvenile Justice and receiving education services under Code Section 20-2-2084.1, the local unit of administration of the school district in which such child is present shall be responsible for the provision of all educational programs, including special education and related services, at no charge so long as the child is physically present in the school district. A child shall be considered in the physical or legal custody of the Department of Juvenile Justice or the Department of Human Services or any of its divisions if custody has been awarded either temporarily or permanently by court order or by voluntary agreement, or if the child has been admitted or placed according to an individualized treatment or service plan of the Department of Human Services. A child shall be considered in a facility or placement paid for or operated by the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities if the child has been admitted or placed according to an individualized treatment or service plan of the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities. No child in a secure residential facility as defined in Code Section 15-11-2, regardless of his or her custody status, shall be eligible for enrollment in the educational programs of the local unit of administration of the school district in which such facility is located. No child or youth in the custody of the Department of Corrections or the Department of Juvenile Justice and confined in a facility as a result of a sentence imposed by a court shall be eligible for enrollment in the educational programs of the local unit of administration of the school district where such child or youth is being held; provided, however, that such child or youth may be eligible for enrollment in a state charter school pursuant to Code Section 20-2-2084.1.”; deleted “by a parent or” following “in a facility” near the middle of paragraph (b)(2); and inserted “subparagraph (A) of” in paragraphs (b)(3) through (b)(5) and (b)(7). See Editor’s notes for applicability.
Code Commission notes.
Pursuant to Code Section 28-9-5, in 1991, “The Department” was substituted for “The State Department” at the beginning of paragraph (b)(7) (now paragraph (b)(8)).
Editor’s notes.
Ga. L. 2000, p. 618, § 1, not codified by the General Assembly, provides: “This Act shall be known and may be cited as the ‘A Plus Education Reform Act of 2000.’”
Ga. L. 2013, p. 294, § 5-1/HB 242, not codified by the General Assembly, provides that: “This Act shall become effective on January 1, 2014, and shall apply to all offenses which occur and juvenile proceedings commenced on and after such date. Any offense occurring before January 1, 2014, shall be governed by the statute in effect at the time of such offense and shall be considered a prior adjudication for the purpose of imposing a disposition that provides for a different penalty for subsequent adjudications, of whatever class, pursuant to this Act. The enactment of this Act shall not affect any prosecutions for acts occurring before January 1, 2014, and shall not act as an abatement of any such prosecutions.”
Ga. L. 2018, p. 330, § 2/HB 853, not codified by the General Assembly, provides: “This Act shall not be construed to create a precedent that state education funds always follow a student who leaves a public school to attend a private school or be admitted to a facility, if not already provided for by law.”
Law reviews.
For article on the 2016 amendment of this Code section, see 33 Georgia St. U. L. Rev. 139 (2016).