Compulsory Attendance; provisions of the state's compulsory school attendance laws; update and revise
Summary
SB123 revises Georgia’s compulsory attendance laws and related school attendance procedures. It updates definitions and terminology, clarifies that children ages six through sixteen must attend public school, private school, or a home study program, and preserves existing exemptions and excused-absence categories. The bill also states that a student may not be expelled from a public school solely because of absenteeism, while still allowing schools and courts to enforce attendance requirements against parents, guardians, or other responsible persons.
The bill expands the role of county student attendance and school climate committees and creates new attendance-review requirements for local school systems. It requires committees to adopt written attendance protocols, meet regularly, and report compliance, and it directs local systems with high chronic-absenteeism rates to establish attendance review teams and intervention plans. SB123 also adds provisions addressing military-related absences, including excusing students who take tests or physical exams for military service, and makes conforming changes to the state’s high school diploma pilot program and related statutes.
Impact
SB123 amends multiple sections of Title 20 of the Georgia Code governing compulsory education, attendance enforcement, excused absences, withdrawal from school, and chronic absenteeism. It adds new duties for local boards of education, county attendance and school climate committees, and the Department of Education, including reporting, protocol adoption, and intervention planning. The bill also changes related language in military-absence provisions and the high school diploma pilot program, and it takes effect July 1, 2025.
Sentiment
The bill appears to have broad support and little visible opposition in the available record. It passed the Senate 54-0 and the House 160-1, indicating strong bipartisan approval. The overall sentiment suggests agreement with updating attendance enforcement while adding more structured supports for chronically absent students and clarifying school obligations.
Contention
The main policy tension in SB123 is between attendance enforcement and student-support approaches. The bill preserves penalties for parents and guardians who fail to ensure attendance, but it also bars expulsion solely for absenteeism and requires intervention plans and attendance review teams for chronically absent students. Another point of interest is the bill’s handling of military-related absences and the shift in terminology from “parent or legal guardian” to broader language, though no committee debate is available to show specific objections.