ATLANTA — About 8,000 Georgians who did not earn a high school diploma because of outdated requirements will now have an opportunity to get their degree thanks to House Bill 91.

After the bill passed overwhelmingly through Georgia’s General Assembly, Gov. Nathan Deal signed the measure into law on Monday.

From 1994 to 2011, Georgia students were required to pass the state’s graduation test before they could receive their high school diploma. Despite the state’s dropping that mandate in 2011, there still remains a significant number of diplomaless students who satisfied all other requirements to graduate except for passing the test.

The new provision will allow those former high school students to petition their school districts to get their diploma.

“House Bill 91 makes it possible for those students to finally obtain their high school diploma so they can move on to a brighter future,” Richard Woods, the state school superintendent, said in a statement. “Those who completed all of the requirements for graduation except for passing one test on one given day now have the opportunity to go on to some form of postsecondary education, where they can obtain skills needed to have a great quality of life and be contributors to our society.”

Potential new graduates who may qualify for their diploma should contact their high school or school district where they last attended to submit a petition.

Macon Telegraph