Homeschool families, you have found your state! Did you know that Georgia has some of the most welcoming homeschool legislation in the country? Aside from the beautiful weather, beaches, and mountains, families will find freedom to choose programs that fit their child’s needs and different learning and play opportunities that enhance each family’s lifestyle.
Many states have laws that can restrict educational programs for alternative education like homeschool options by requiring state childcare licensing and oversight with many additional hoops for providers to jump through. Georgia used to be this type of state, with regulations that impacted families’ abilities to gather in large groups, pay for the use of private spaces, or conduct their learning experiences without registering with the state and obtaining licensing. Since homeschool programs are not the same as daycare, families and advocates believed that suchregulations often impede access to independent learning, rather than enhance it.
Many homeschool families choose to have their children join other kids for specific learning opportunities, and families mingle together and share responsibilities for different educational experiences. For example, some parents may have expertise in nature-based skill-building, while others may want to offer math games. Being able to share co-operatively and promote socialization in different-sized groups and different locations is part of the advantages of this educational choice. As homeschool families know, most of these types of experiences don’t fit the exact molds, structures, or routines of childcare centers or daycare homes. So, having state leaders who understand the difference and don’t feel the need for over-regulation is vital.
Luckily, in Georgia, with the urging of state policy organizations, home educators, and homeschool families, legislators agreed to expand the rights of families who want these types of freedoms for their children’s learning. They recently passed a law, affectionately known as the Learning Pod Act. This Act (Code Section 20-2-690 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated,) amended the requirements for private schools and home study programs by stating the intent that “it is necessary to ensure that parents in this state who choose to voluntarily associate to advance the primary education of their children shall not be subject to additional restrictions or regulations.” It goes on to exempt learning pod educational providers and locations from many statutes, rules, regulations, guidelines, or other regulatory provisions imposed by the state, local governments, or local school systems. It also prevents them from site inspections, visits, or other investigations that would happen at those locations if a learning pod was not in existence there. It allows providers to be paid for their work with homeschoolers and after/before school students without losing Learning Pod protection, it protects students from needless discrimination or scrutiny from their participation in learning pods, and allows virtual education to count towards attendance in an educational setting. ( See, Georgia Code § 20-2-690 (2024) - Educational entities; requirements for private schools and home study programs; learning pod protection :: 2024 Georgia Code :: U.S. Codes and Statutes :: U.S. Law :: Justia).
In essence, the Learning Pod Act extended homeschool freedoms into the hybrid program environment- those who provide learning experiences for homeschoolers outside of their homes and/or for children who attend after and before public or private school, are now exempt from the additional requirements of state-certified and licensed schools and daycare programs.
This legislation was a major win for not only homeschooling families and families participating in before and after school activities, but also for those who provide all sorts of educational opportunities for these students across the state. Without the fear of excessive oversight, expensive requirements, time-consuming site visits, and state bureaucracy, even more providers can now offer even more types of programs for students and families to enjoy.
For those worried about safety issues, or less oversight meaning program integrity may be compromised, don’t worry- they still kept non-Learning Pod related restrictions, so programs still have to be in locations that are safe, and people can’t break other types of laws. For example, you can’t run a program with 25 students in a small room if the room maximum occupancy is 10, as that has nothing to do with the crowd being a Learning Pod, but rather the safety of the building space and fire hazards. Butthe state can’t tell someone that they can’t have more than 6 students at their house if they are running a Learning Pod event. Parents will have to exercise their own precautions regarding who they trust to leave their children with, or what locations seem safe and age-appropriate for their child. But those are the types of responsibilities that they advocated to legislators for, so now those responsibilities are back with the parents where, they argue, they always should have been.
Georgia s a leader with the Learning Pod freedoms, as now other states have also created protections for homeschool students, such as in Louisiana and Texas. Maybe more will come, as bills are on the horizon in several other states as well. But rest assured, those of you moving to Georgia will have a lot more educational freedom to choose opportunities for your children, and program leaders will have the freedom to create even more exciting academic and social events for the kids’ learning pleasure!
About the Author:
Kathleen Casper Reed is an attorney and educational consultant, specializing in helping program leaders start and run educational programs and helping families find and access the right educational experiences for their children. Kathleen has been an expert witness in legal cases where educational placement is at issue, as well as helped districts and programs across the country create premiere educational programs, legal protections, and policies and procedures. She is a K-12 certified teacher and principal in multiple states, the owner and director of a nature-based learning center, and has held many leadership positionssuch as in national and state non-profit organizations, and as the Florida Department of Education gifted education specialist, among many other roles.