ATLANTA (June 28, 2019) | Sen. John Wilkinson (R – Toccoa) recently announced that the recommendation by Georgia State Superintendent Richard Woods to implement agriculture education standards in grades kindergarten through fifth was approved by the State Board of Education.
“Food doesn’t come from the grocery store,” said Sen. Wilkinson. “Four or five generations removed from the farm makes it hard for students to understand where their food really comes from. This new program will help kids understand the powerful impact of agriculture on the prosperity of our state.”
“I’m thrilled about this work and the opportunity to add agricultural education at the elementary level,” State School Superintendent Richard Woods said. “At the upper levels, our kids have a chance to learn the business and practice of agriculture, but now we can begin to build that understanding for our younger students in an age-appropriate way.”
The new standards were created by Senate Bill 330 which was authored by Sen. Wilkinson in the 2018 legislative session and passed unanimously in the Senate and House. The new standards will be implemented beginning during the 2019-2020 school year with 20 pilot programs located across the state, including Banks County Elementary located in Senate District 50.
You can read the press release by the Georgia Department of Education here: https://www.gadoe.org/External-Affairs-and-Policy/communications/Pages/PressReleaseDetails.aspx?PressView=default&pid=692
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For Immediate Release:
June 28, 2019
Elisabeth Fletcher, Communications Specialist
elisabeth.fletcher@senate.ga.gov
404.656.0028