Georgia
Georgia lawmakers debate public school approach to ‘age-appropriate’ sex education – Georgia Recorder
A bipartisan bill designed to update sex education curriculum for Georgia’s public school students faced skepticism in a House subcommittee last week amid questions of which side in the culture war can better educate youngsters on the birds and the bees.
Dalton Republican Rep. Kasey Carpenter’s House Bill 822 adds language to state code requiring the sex education curricula created by Georgia’s local boards of education and the state Board of Education to be “age-appropriate and medically accurate” and to include the concept of consent. It also updates language about AIDS to include HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.
“Abstinence is still going to be discussed in sex education, that’s the best way, there’s no question about it, it’s the best and the safest way for children not to experience any of the difficulties in this arena,” Carpenter said.
“But I will tell you that 90% of people aren’t abstinent before marriage, and they do have sex,” he added. “And so we can continue to dig our head in the sand as a state and say let’s focus on this because it’s the best way when 90% of us, including a lot of Christians, are not following that path. And so I think it’s important to get real with kids because they’re either gonna learn it in a nice controlled environment at school where locals will have some control over it, or they’re gonna learn about it on their cell phone.”
Keri Hill, a representative for the Georgia Campaign for Adolescent Power & Potential, a group that supports comprehensive sex education, said Georgia’s youngest students need basic lessons in consent to keep them safe and to prepare them for when they get older.
“Consent is included in the bill because it is incomplete to address sexual assault and sexual awareness education without discussing consent,” she said. “And a consent discussion in elementary grades, it includes information like how to identify a trusted adult, how to be a good friend, and discussions on medically accurate words for body parts to give children the language they would need if they needed to report someone is harming them or touching them inappropriately.”
Buford Republican Rep. David Clark did not seem convinced.
“It has potential, a huge potential to shift it more to consent talk, which I think in the end could encourage more sex with these young kids,” he said. “What examples can you provide how the abstinence based sex has failed to teach kids healthy boundaries?”
Carpenter pointed to data showing that 57% of teenagers have had sex.
“We try to attack stuff like this with the idea that everybody’s going home and they got two parents that want to sit out and talk to them about that, and that’s just not the reality of the world that we live in,” he said. “I wish it was 1950 and everybody had two parents at home and everything was great and we wouldn’t have problems, but we got problems”
Locust Grove Republican Rep. Lauren Daniel said that to some, “medically accurate” is not as neutral as it sounds.
“I think on the surface that sounds wonderful,” she said. “But we have seen – and we took a pretty hefty bill last year in terms of we had some medical authorities and research studies come out against it, one of the issues that we were handling that didn’t align with what has been historically considered medically accurate.”
Daniel was referring to a bill later signed by Gov. Brian Kemp blocking hormone therapy for transgender minors. Hundreds of medical providers and organizations called the bill unnecessary and harmful for transgender youth.
Carpenter said that should not be a concern because local school boards will still be responsible for shaping curriculum.
“I think that piece is, to me, protected in that local piece, where the locals are involved in the conversation that says, ‘Well that guy says it’s medically accurate, but he’s not a real doctor, he’s a fake doctor.’ But I do think the input from the doctors are important. And you know, if it’s medically accurate for you when you go to your OB/GYN to have these conversations, then why should we not be presenting that same information to the kids in school?”
Daniel, who campaigned on her personal story of overcoming adversity as a former teenage mother, argued that parents should be the ones who decide what is presented to children, and many Georgia parents do not trust those who would likely decide what is age-appropriate or medically accurate.
“I think that teaching kids what’s appropriate and what’s not is important, and as a teen mom, I recognize that kids are going to do what they’re going to do in high school,” she said. “However, at the end of the day, I do believe that parents have the ultimate say of what is age-appropriate for their kids, and I think when we bring in different organizations that may or may not agree with the parents what is age appropriate – because we’re seeing that all over in books and some other areas – but what we historically believe is age appropriate isn’t what’s being taught in schools sometimes, and so I just want to caution you.”
Carpenter’s bill was not scheduled for a vote. Feb. 29 is crossover day, the last day for bills to pass from one chamber to the other without legislative shenanigans.
There’s no question that Texas-Georgia and Rams-Seahawks will be two of the most wagered upon sporting events this weekend in Las Vegas.
All four teams have marquee names at the quarterback position and three of the four squads have lived up to the preseason hype. And while Texas still has a chance to make the College Football Playoff, the Longhorns haven’t matched the summer billing of national title favorite.
One Vegas bookmaker has slid the Horns’ rating quite a bit.
“I’m down seven points since the opener,” Westgate SuperBook vice president of risk Ed Salmons told me from Las Vegas.
“Every time I watch Texas, I come to the same conclusion: When the offense plays well, the defense sucks, and when the defense plays well, the offense sucks. They are what they are at this point.”
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The SuperBook opened Georgia -6.
“I opened a little lower,” Salmons admitted. “People we respect have been betting these ‘dogs off bye weeks and Texas fits that trend this week. Then somebody we respect laid the points.
“Georgia really ran the ball like old-school Georgia last week for the first time in a long time. It’s a team I really didn’t like early, but the more I watch, the more impressed I am with the offense. The defense is the weakness.”
Yours truly is invested in the Horns at +6.5. It’s rare to get a team with that caliber of defensive speed catching almost a touchdown.
Less than 24 hours after Texas and Georgia kick, the Rams and Seahawks meet in a massive showdown with big-time divisional and conference implications. Matthew Stafford and Sam Darnold are legit MVP candidates and both teams have stingy defenses and brilliant head coaches.
“I think these two teams are identical,” Salmons said.
“The spread should be 2.5, but it’s a little inflated because we’re expecting Rams money. The public is just enthralled with the Rams.”
Are people sleeping on Seattle?
“I really liked Seattle coming into the year,” Salmons said. “I think highly of [head coach Mike Macdonald]. He’s really prepared, and he knows what he’s doing. And for the first six or seven weeks, the Seahawks were playing without half their secondary and kept winning games.
“Darnold has played great, and their No. 1 receiver has just been phenomenal. I think they’re the real deal.”
It’s been a treat watching Darnold and Stafford sling touchdowns, though I’ll be the first one to admit, I didn’t envision Stafford sitting at 25 touchdowns with just two interceptions in mid-November. Especially not considering all the rumors about Stafford’s ailing back we heard all summer long.
“There was a lot of professional money in the summer on the Rams missing the playoffs and ‘Under’ on wins,” Salmons reported. “Respected guys believed in the Stafford back rumors. That was a real thing.
“He doesn’t get hit a lot. We haven’t seen that yet.”
Finally, I saw a segment on “First Things First” this week in which the hosts debated which team at the top of the AFC standings could be trusted in the playoffs — the Indianapolis Colts, Denver Broncos or New England Patriots.
I think the answer is none of ‘em. Just wait ‘til we get the No. 5 seed Buffalo Bills and No. 7 seed Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship.
“It wouldn’t be surprising at all,” Salmons cracked.
“When Kansas City beats Denver this week, they’re gonna run a bunch of wins off. Look at their schedule. Denver is so beat up coming into this game, too. And it’s Andy Reid off the bye. We all know what’s gonna happen.”
Sam Panayotovich is a sports betting analyst for FOX Sports and the BetMGM Network. He previously worked for WGN Radio, NBC Sports and VSiN. Watch him on FOX Sports’ Bear Bets and follow him on X @spshoot.
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THE FLATS – Georgia Tech’s offensive line has been named a semifinalist for the 2025 Joe Moore Award. The Joe Moore Award is presented to college football’s best offensive front.
Tech is among the 10 semifinalists for the first time in the 11-year history of the Joe Moore Award.
The Yellow Jackets’ offensive line has paved the way for Georgia Tech’s offense to rank among the nation’s top 25 in 12 different official statistical categories, including fewest sacks allowed (sixth – 0.67/gm), total offense (ninth – 482.1 ypg) and rushing (13th – 221.0 ypg). The Jackets have not surrendered a sack in 5-of-9 games this season, have rushed for 200 yards or more five times and have had at least two rushing touchdowns in every game. They’re one of only 12 teams that have multiple 300-yard rushing performances against NCAA Division I FBS competition this season (320 at Colorado and 307 vs. Temple).
The Jackets’ line has been an integral part of quarterback Haynes King’s Heisman Trophy candidacy, as Tech’s signal-caller ranks No. 3 nationally in total offense (330.3 ypg) and No. 6 in points responsible for (17.5 ppg) behind his offensive front.
In addition to being one of the nation’s most talented offensive lines, Tech’s is also one of the most durable, as four linemen have made every start for the Jackets this season – LT Ethan Mackenny (Marietta, Ga./Lassiter), LG Joe Fusile (Richmond Hill, Ga./Richmond Hill H.S.), RG Keyland Rutledge (Royston, Ga./Franklin County H.S.) and RT Malachi Carney (Pleasant Grove, Ala./Pleasant Grove H.S.). Harrison Moore (Southlake, Texas/Carroll H.S.) and Tana Alo-Tupuola (Brownsburg, Ind./IMG Academy) have split the nine starts at center.
Leading the way is Rutledge, a midseason all-American and one of only three offensive linemen among the 13 semifinalists for the Lombardi Award (nation’s best lineman/linebacker). Rutledge, who has allowed no sacks and just one hurry all season, ranks among the nation’s top 10 guards in both run blocking (fourth) and pass blocking (10th), according to Pro Football Focus.
Georgia Tech is joined on the 2025 Joe Moore Award semifinalists list by Cincinnati, Duke, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Oregon, Texas A&M, Utah and Vanderbilt. The semifinalists were announced live on Wednesday evening on “Trench Life” with Joe Moore Award voting committee members Aaron Taylor, Cole Cubelic, Geoff Schwartz and Mike Golic, Jr. and hosted by Jenny Dell. Click HERE to watch the full show.
No. 14/12 Georgia Tech (8-1, 5-1 ACC) returns to action on Saturday when it visits Boston College. Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. and the game will be televised nationally on ACC Network.
2025 GEORGIA TECH FOOTBALL TICKETS
With a fanbase that has been reenergized by the Yellow Jackets’ success, attendance at Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field is up 29% over this time in 2024. Fans can still be a part of the excitement on The Flats, as tickets remain for the Yellow Jackets’ final regular-season home game of 2025 at Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field:
Saturday, Nov. 22 vs. No. 23 Pitt (Senior Day/Military Appreciation Day/Michael Isenhour Toy Drive-25th Anniversary) – Click HERE for tickets.
Full Steam Ahead
Full Steam Ahead is a $500 million fundraising initiative to achieve Georgia Tech athletics’ goal of competing for championships at the highest level in the next era of intercollegiate athletics. The initiative will fund transformative projects for Tech athletics, including renovations of Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field (the historic home of Georgia Tech football), the Zelnak Basketball Center (the practice and training facility for Tech basketball) and O’Keefe Gymnasium (the venerable home of Yellow Jackets volleyball), as well as additional projects and initiatives to further advance Georgia Tech athletics through program wide-operational support. All members of the Georgia Tech community are invited to visit atfund.org/FullSteamAhead for full details and renderings of the renovation projects, as well as to learn about opportunities to contribute online.
For the latest information on the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, follow us on X, Facebook, Instagram and at www.ramblinwreck.com.
Most of the biggest brands in college football have never lined up against Georgia football inside Sanford Stadium.
Alabama, of course, is an exception, as an SEC program that first played between the hedges in 1935.
Notre Dame made its only visit to Athens in 2019 in a game deemed so big extra seating was brought in to accommodate a record crowd.
These top 10 winningest FBS programs of all-time have never been on the visitor’s sideline: Michigan, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Penn State, Nebraska and USC.
Texas is on that list, too, but won’t be after it plays Georgia for the first time in Athens on Saturday, Nov. 15.
The Longhorns were scheduled to do that on Sept. 21, 1957, but the game was moved to Georgia Tech’s Grant Field in Atlanta.
But why?
According to the Feb. 7, 1957, edition of the Red & Black student newspaper, the game was shifted to the second of a doubleheader with Georgia Tech and Kentucky playing at 2 p.m. and Georgia and Texas at 8 p.m.
“The Texas tilt was scheduled for Athens, but the Georgia student body does not return until Sept. 23, the first day of registration,” the story said.
Georgia and Georgia Tech had played a doubleheader in 1955 in Atlanta as well: Georgia-Ole Miss and Georgia Tech-Miami.
Moving the 1957 game was “financially necessary,” according to Dan Magill’s “The Georgia Bulldog” newsletter from Feb. 18, 1957, provided to the Athens Banner-Herald by Jason Hasty, a UGA athletics history specialist with the UGA’s Hargrett Rare Book & Manuscript Library. Magill was secretary of the Georgia Bulldog Club, which he founded in 1953.
That 1955 Georgia-Ole Miss game in Atlanta drew 33,400 — more than three times the average paid attendance for games in Athens in recent years, other than games against rivals Georgia Tech and Alabama, Magill wrote.
Coach Wally Butts cited conflicts with Georgia Tech home games as a “major factor,” in moving the games from Athens, according to the Red & Black.
“Whenever these conflicts exist, it hurts the gate receipts at both schools, particularly Georgia, which is located in a sparsely populated area,” Magill wrote.
The game in Atlanta — just the second against Texas after a 41-28 Orange Bowl Longhorns win on Jan. 1, 1949 — was considered a Georgia home game and students were admitted free with an ID card.
Loran Smith, a Georgia historian who has been associated with UGA athletics for more than 60 years, said Magill complained, “Tech plays the afternoon and we’re the damn sideshow.”
Smith said Georgia Tech coach Bobby Dodd convinced Butts it would be a good move to play the game in Atlanta.
The game in 1957 was the season opener and marked the debut of Texas coach of Darrell Royal, who is the namesake of Texas football’s Darrell K. Royal Texas Memorial Stadium. He took over a program coming off a 1-9 season.
Texas won 26-7 before a “sweltering short sleeved crowd of 33,000,” according to an AP report.
Georgia trailed 13-7 in the third quarter after sophomore quarterback Charley Britt threw a 5-yard touchdown to Jimmy Orr, but Texas scored 13 in the fourth quarter.
Georgia finished the season 3-7. Texas went 6-4-1 and ranked No. 11.
Georgia played Texas A&M in Athens in 1954 and went to Michigan in 1957 and 1965.
Butts was on a football rules committee with Michigan AD Fritz Crisler which led to the games in Ann Arbor, Smith said.
“Both on the road,” Smith said. “We were like one of the directional schools playing for a check.”
Saturday will be the eighth all-time meeting between the Longhorns, who are No. 5 in all-time wins with 968, and Georgia which is No. 9 with 900.
Texas was scheduled to play at Georgia on Sept. 1, 2029, as part of the second game of a home-and-home series set up in 2018, but then the Longhorns joined the SEC.
Georgia won twice last season, 30-15 in Austin and 22-19 in overtime in Atlanta in the SEC championship game.
The teams have also played in Miami, Dallas and New Orleans.
And now in Athens.
“It’s huge,” Georgia tight end Oscar Delp said. “It’s going to be super fun. I know the city is going to be rocking. Our fans are going to show up. We’re going to show up. We know what kind of game it’s going to be. It’s going to be like the last two. It’s going to be a physical game, who can run the ball, who can stop the run. We’re excited for that.”
Texas coach Steve Sarkisian said he will take a moment to soak in the atmosphere of what will be his first game in Athens, too.
“I definitely will appreciate it and I hope our players do, too,” he said. “One of the beauties of going into this conference is the opportunity to play in some of these stadiums around the Southeastern Conference. …I’d be remised if I didn’t take it in, if our players didn’t take it in because that’s when teams can get overwhelmed. You’ve got to embrace the moment, embrace the environment you’re in and then you’ve got to go fight.”
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