Georgia and Federal School Law Training for Educators

The Educators Portal offers self paced online professional learning on the Georgia and federal school laws every educator should know. Each training is built from official government sources and includes a pretest, short lessons with knowledge checks, a guided reading of the law, practice scenarios, a reflection and a posttest. Pass the posttest with 80% or higher and your clock hour certificate is emailed to you the same day.

Trainings are designed for teachers, paraprofessionals, counselors, school leaders and district staff in Georgia. Schools can purchase the School Team All Access Pass to give each educator a full year of every training.

Georgia school law trainings

  • Calm Before Contact: Georgia's Restraint and Seclusion Rule (1 clock hour). Learn what Georgia bans outright, when physical restraint is allowed, and the one school day written parent notice. Built around deescalation first and knowing when the danger has ended.
  • Too Young to Suspend: Discipline Limits for Pre K to Grade 3 (1 clock hour). Learn Georgia's five day limit on out of school suspension and expulsion for students in preschool through grade 3, its exceptions, and what must happen before day 6. Practice counting cumulative days and building tiered intervention data.
  • Ten Days and Counting: Running Fair Disciplinary Hearings (1 clock hour). Learn when a disciplinary hearing is required, the notice and timeline rules, the student's rights at the hearing, and the SB 169 (2024) changes on postponements and instructional materials.
  • When a Teacher Says Not Today: Removing a Student From Class (1 clock hour). Learn when a Georgia teacher may remove a student from class, the one page report, the parent notice, and the day 1, day 2 and day 3 deadlines for the placement review committee.
  • The Line on Physical Discipline: Corporal Punishment in Georgia (1 clock hour). Corporal punishment is still legal in Georgia, but only under a written local board policy and strict conditions. Learn the limits, the witness and physician statement rules, and why staff must know their own board's policy.
  • Least Restrictive First: GNETS and the Federal ADA Case (1 clock hour). Learn when the Georgia Network for Educational and Therapeutic Support (GNETS) can be considered, what the IEP team must document, and why the federal ADA case makes the least restrictive setting and annual return reviews so important.
  • The 10 Day Rule: IDEA Discipline Protections (1 clock hour). Learn the federal discipline protections for students with disabilities: the 10 school day rule, services after 10 days, the manifestation determination, and the 45 school day special circumstances. Practice tracking every removal day.
  • See It, Report It: Georgia's Safe Schools Act (1 clock hour). Learn what HB 268 requires of Georgia schools, from panic alerts and mapping data to threat assessment, records transfer, and student safety training.
  • Ready Before October 1: School Safety Plans and Drills (1 clock hour). Learn how Georgia school safety plans are built, what they must cover, and how to meet the October 1 intruder alert drill and GEMA reporting requirements.
  • Ask, Stay, Connect: The Jason Flatt Act (1 clock hour). Learn Georgia's suicide prevention training requirements for certified staff and students, what district policy must cover, and how to make a safe warm handoff.
  • Bell to Bell: Georgia's Distraction Free Education Act (1 clock hour). Learn what Georgia's bell to bell personal device ban covers, what local policy decides, and how to enforce it fairly without penalizing accommodations.
  • Teaching Safety, Hearing Disclosures: Erin's Law in Georgia (1 clock hour). Learn Georgia's yearly abuse and assault prevention instruction requirement for grades K to 9, the parent opt out, and how to respond when a student discloses.
  • Every Day Counts: Georgia Attendance Law (1 clock hour). Learn Georgia's compulsory attendance rules, the five day parent notice, SB 123's chronic absence changes, and why accurate coding and documentation matter.
  • Enroll First: McKinney Vento in Practice (1 clock hour). Learn how federal McKinney Vento protections work in Georgia schools, including immediate enrollment, school of origin rights, the homeless liaison, and who qualifies.
  • Every Employee Reports: Title IX in K to 12 (1 clock hour). Learn the current Title IX requirements for K to 12 schools, including the Coordinator role, why notice to any employee counts, supportive measures, and the grievance process.
  • Reading by Design: The Georgia Early Literacy Act (1 clock hour). Learn what Georgia's early literacy laws require of K to 3 classrooms: universal screening three times a year, tiered reading intervention plans, science of reading training, and approved high quality instructional materials.
  • Promote, Retain, or Support: Georgia's Promotion and Placement Rules (1 clock hour). Learn Georgia's promotion and retention rules for grades 3, 5, and 8: the grade level expectations, parent notice, accelerated instruction and retest, how a placement committee works, and what changes when first grade is added in 2027 to 2028.
  • Access for Every Learner: Section 504 and ADA Title II (1 clock hour). Learn what Section 504 and ADA Title II require of every public school: identifying and evaluating students with disabilities, providing FAPE through a 504 plan, honoring procedural safeguards, and keeping programs and digital content accessible.
  • Think Before You Share: FERPA and Student Data Privacy (1 clock hour). Learn how FERPA and Georgia's student data privacy law protect student records: parent and eligible student rights, consent before sharing, annual notice and directory opt outs, vendor limits, and everyday habits that keep student information safe.
  • Open Doors for Parents: Georgia's Parents' Bill of Rights (1 clock hour). Learn what Georgia's Parents' Bill of Rights requires: the classroom materials review window, the records request timeline in school business days, parent opt outs for sex education and photos or recordings, and the annual parental involvement policy.
  • Teach the Topic, Know the Law: The Protect Students First Act (1 clock hour). Learn what Georgia's Protect Students First Act requires: limits on advocating the nine concepts listed in the law, what teachers may still teach, the written complaint process and its timeline, and the consequences of a violation.
  • Professional by Standard: The GaPSC Code of Ethics (1 clock hour). Learn Georgia's Code of Ethics for Educators: who it covers, its ten standards, the duty to report known breaches within 90 days, how complaints work, the range of sanctions, and the everyday situations that most often lead to cases.
  • Freedom With Accountability: Georgia's Charter Schools Act (1 clock hour). Learn how Georgia's charter school laws work: the trade of flexibility for performance, the duties a charter can never waive, the state and federal laws that still apply, and the history and role of the State Charter Schools Commission.

Federal education law trainings

  • Find, Serve, Include: Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (2 clock hours). A two hour deep dive into IDEA: Child Find, evaluation and reevaluation timelines, building and sharing the IEP, parent participation, records and dispute options, transfers, discipline protections, and a practical action checklist for teachers, leaders, counselors, paraprofessionals and front office staff.
  • Equal Access, Every Class: Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act (2 clock hours). A two hour deep dive into Section 504: who is covered, how schools find and evaluate students, how 504 plans deliver a free appropriate public education, documentation and safeguards, equal access in athletics, counseling and every setting, accommodations for staff, and a practical action checklist for every role.
  • Open Doors, Open Pages: Americans with Disabilities Act, Title II (2 clock hours). A two hour deep dive into Title II of the ADA: inclusion, reasonable modifications, effective communication, interpreters and service animals, program access in school buildings, the ADA coordinator and grievance process, and the web and mobile app rule, with a practical action checklist for every role.
  • Every Voice Belongs: Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (2 clock hours). A two hour training on Title VI for every role in a school. Learn what the law prohibits, how it protects English learners and parents who need language access, how to respond to harassment, how OCR complaints and investigations work, what records schools must keep, and how to apply it on field trips, in athletics and across the school day.
  • Tell the Coordinator: Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 (2 clock hours). A two hour training on Title IX for every role in a school. Learn why notice to any K to 12 employee is notice to the school, what the Title IX Coordinator does first, how the grievance process, appeals and informal resolution work, what records must be kept for seven years, and how Title IX applies in athletics and on field trips.
  • Bridge the Language Gap: Equal Educational Opportunities Act (1 clock hour). Learn why the duty to serve English learners comes from the Equal Educational Opportunities Act itself, how the Castaneda three part test measures a language program, and what appropriate action looks like in staffing, materials and monitoring.
  • Language Is Access: ESSA Title III (1 clock hour). Learn what Title III funds, what it requires of districts that accept the money, and why services for English learners never depend on the grant alone.
  • No Barriers at the Door: The McKinney Vento Homeless Assistance Act (1 clock hour). Learn who counts as homeless under federal law, why enrollment cannot wait for paperwork, and what the school of origin, transportation, and liaison duties mean for daily practice.
  • Stay Put, Stay Strong: Foster Care Educational Stability (1 clock hour). Learn why students in foster care stay in their school of origin by default, how best interest decisions are made with child welfare, and what immediate enrollment, records, and transportation require.
  • Every Club Gets a Room: The Equal Access Act (1 clock hour). Learn when a secondary school creates a limited open forum, what fair and equal access for student clubs means, and how staff and outside adults may and may not take part.
  • Records With Care: FERPA and Student Privacy (2 clock hours). A two hour training on FERPA for every role in a school. Learn what counts as an education record, how fast parents must get access, when you need written consent, how transfers, subpoenas and emergencies work, what records of disclosure you must keep, and how school officials, contractors and apps fit the rules.
  • Ask Before You Survey: The Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment (1 clock hour). Learn the eight protected areas, when a survey needs prior written parent consent, and the notice, opt out, and inspection rights parents have for surveys, physical exams, and marketing.
  • Vet Before You Click: Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (1 clock hour). Learn when a school may consent for an online tool, what to ask vendors before approval, and why teachers should never sign students up for unvetted apps on their own.
  • More Than a Filter: Children's Internet Protection Act (1 clock hour). Learn the four parts of CIPA compliance: filtering, an internet safety policy adopted after public notice and a public meeting, monitoring minors online, and teaching students safe online behavior.
  • Know Which Law Applies: HIPAA and FERPA in Schools (1 clock hour). Sort out when student health records fall under FERPA instead of HIPAA, when emergency sharing is allowed, and why citing HIPAA to refuse sharing is often the wrong answer.
  • Zero Room for Firearms: Gun Free Schools Act (1 clock hour). Learn the federal one year expulsion rule for firearms, how written case by case modifications work, the referral and reporting duties, and how the law fits with IDEA and state weapons laws.
  • Know What's in the Walls: Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act (1 clock hour). Learn what AHERA requires of every school: a trained designated person, inspections and surveillance on a set cycle, a public management plan, annual notice, and awareness training for custodial and maintenance staff.
  • Healthy by Design: School Wellness Policy and Nutrition Standards (1 clock hour). Learn what a local school wellness policy must contain, who must be involved, how food sold and marketed at school is limited, and why food rewards, fundraisers and celebrations often break the policy.
  • Funding Safer Schools: The Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (1 clock hour). Learn how the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act funds safe and healthy students work and school mental health staffing, and how to keep these dollars separate, focused, and sustainable.
  • Partners in Progress: ESSA Title I, Part A (1 clock hour). Learn how Title I funds reach schools, what comprehensive and targeted support mean, and how to build a family engagement policy and compact with parents rather than for them.
  • Pathways With Purpose: Perkins V Career and Technical Education (1 clock hour). Learn how Perkins V links every career and technical education dollar to a local needs assessment, strong programs, honest performance data, and the supplement not supplant rule.
  • Fair From Day One: Title VII of the Civil Rights Act (1 clock hour). Learn how Title VII protects school staff from discrimination, harassment, and retaliation, how religious accommodation works, and why leaders should document reasons for assignments and transfers.
  • Supporting Staff Through Change: ADA Title I, PWFA and PUMP Act (1 clock hour). Learn how schools must accommodate staff with disabilities and pregnancy related limitations, provide pumping breaks and private space, and keep medical information confidential.
  • Leave Without Losing Ground: Family and Medical Leave Act (1 clock hour). Learn who qualifies for FMLA leave at school, how the special rules for instructional employees work for intermittent leave and leave near the end of a term, and how to restore staff to an equivalent position.
  • Every Hour Counts: The Fair Labor Standards Act (1 clock hour). Learn who is exempt from overtime at school, why duties matter more than job titles, and how to count every hour that support staff work so no one works off the clock.
  • Protected, Not Immune: The Paul D. Coverdell Teacher Protection Act (1 clock hour). Understand what the federal teacher liability shield actually protects, what it never covers, and why following law and school policy is the condition for protection.
  • Borrow With Care: Copyright Fair Use and the TEACH Act (1 clock hour). Learn how the four fair use factors and the classroom and online teaching exemptions work, and why educational use is not automatically fair use.
  • Count Every Payment: PSLF and Teacher Loan Forgiveness (1 clock hour). Understand how Public Service Loan Forgiveness and Teacher Loan Forgiveness work, why the same service cannot count for both, and how timely employment certification protects educators' progress.
  • Growing Great Teachers: ESSA Title II, Part A (1 clock hour). Learn how Title II, Part A funds can support sustained professional learning, recruitment and retention, who must be consulted, and the fiscal rules that keep the money working for students.

How it works

Choose a training, receive your access code, enter it under My Learning, and complete the training on any phone, tablet or computer. Every certificate shows the educator's name, the training, clock hours, date, scores and a certificate ID that schools can verify on the Certificates page.

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