A bill that would allow students to opt out of standardized testing is in the Georgia House Rules Committee and could see the Governor’s desk soon.

The Student Protection Act passed the Georgia Senate two weeks ago on February 29. The goal of the this bill is to allow a student to opt out of a standardized test without it hurting their grade. This bill will only pertain to elementary and middle school students and it is mainly aimed toward special education students.

Opponents of this bill are concerned about students who do opt out of the test, and are not sure where they would go during the day. They also wonder if schools will need to hire more teachers or spend more money in any way to accommodate for the students not taking the standardized tests.

But Laura Ferguson, who has had two children go through the Oconee County School System, is very concerned with the current testing situation.

“The fact that at the age of nine years old I had to medicate my child so that she could sit still when it comes time to test time, it’s just affected the entire family.”

After the Rules Committtee, the bill would go to the Georgia House floor. If the bill then passes the House floor, it will be brought to Governor Deal’s desk.

By Zak Huberty