Education
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Georgia Legislature allows more high school courses on the Bible

March 13, 2019 - Atlanta - Sen. Jeff Mullis, R - Chickamauga, is the main sponsor of legislation allowing an expansion of elective courses on the Bible. Bob Andres / bandres@ajc.com
March 13, 2019 - Atlanta - Sen. Jeff Mullis, R - Chickamauga, is the main sponsor of legislation allowing an expansion of elective courses on the Bible. Bob Andres / bandres@ajc.com
By Ty Tagami
April 2, 2019

The Georgia Legislature has approved an expansion of for-credit courses that public schools can offer about the Bible.

High schools can already offer elective courses about the history and literature of the Old and New Testaments. Senate Bill 83 adds the Hebrew Scriptures and expands what can be taught for credit about these texts and their influence on society and culture, including courses on the law, government, art, music, customs, morals and values.

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The sponsor, Sen. Jeff Mullis, R-Chickamauga, said his constituents wanted the expansion, which now goes to the desk of Gov. Brian Kemp. The House of Representatives added language codifying a pre-existing college mentorship and scholarship program for low-income students known as REACH Georgia, and the Senate, on Tuesday, the last day of the 2019 legislative session, approved the addition.

The bill was among several addressing curriculum. Another, a mandate to offer computer science courses, passed the General Assembly last week.

About the Author

Ty Tagami is a staff writer for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Since joining the newspaper in 2002, he has written about everything from hurricanes to homelessness. He has deep experience covering local government and education, and can often be found under the Gold Dome when lawmakers meet or in a school somewhere in the state.

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