Parents and teachers could ask a school board to make management and operations changes in poorly performing schools under a bill that has cleared the Georgia House of Representatives.

The requests could range from firing a principal to reconstituting the faculty, or converting a traditional public school into an independent charter school.

Local school boards would have the final word, but they'd be required to have an up-or-down vote after receiving a petition. There was debate Tuesday over how the bill defines the majority necessary to submit those petitions.

Opponents argued the bill's current language would allow a majority of a small group attending a vote to meet the legal threshold, rather than an absolute majority of all teachers or all parents.

House Bill 123 now goes to the Senate.

Tags: education, politics, low-performing schools, parent trigger laws