A Senate working group is looking at the age for mandatory attendance in Georgia’s public schools — an issue that has come up in the past three or four sessions of the Georgia General Assembly but has never crossed the finish line.
Currently, mandatory attendance in public school, private school, or home school programs in Georgia is required for children between their sixth and 16th birthdays. The Senate Age of Mandatory Education Study Committee is looking at whether the age of mandatory attendance in Georgia should be raised from 16 to 17.
The committee was created by the passage of SR 192 during the 2021 legislative session, and is being led by Senate Education and Youth Chairman Chuck Payne (R-Dalton). Payne retired from the Georgia Department of Juvenile Justice after a 30-year career working with youth facing criminal charges. Other members include Sen. John Albers (R-Roswell), Sen. Gail Davenport (D-Jonesboro), Sen. Lester Jackson (D-Savannah), and Sen. Lindsey Tippins (R-Marietta). The committee is expected to explore the effects of raising the mandatory school attendance age — policy proposed in SB 3 last year and sponsored by Senator Jackson.
During the initial committee meeting, Payne shared his thoughts on students who drop out at 16 years. According to Payne, a high percentage of students who quit school at 16 years of age will serve jail or prison time at some point in their lives.
The committee also heard from Kerry Pritchard, Manager of Accountability and External Affairs for the Georgia Department of Education, who said the department does not object to raising the mandatory attendance age to 17. However, Pritchard warned that money required to raise the mandatory attendance age could be used in a number of other areas, including providing support services for all students.
The committee asked state education department officials if they could provide a fiscal analysis of costs associated with raising the age and providing support services to all students for future discussions.
According to Payne, future committee meetings will be held at various locations across the state — probably in the home areas of the other committee members. Payne hopes to get input from school leaders, teachers, and other school employees during the upcoming meetings. The committee will stand until Dec. 1, 2021.
