Senate President Pro Tem John Kennedy, R–Macon, has introduced legislation to address chronic absenteeism in Georgia schools, explaining that chronic absenteeism is a growing issue across the state that places students at an extreme disadvantage. Kennedy believes Senate Bill 123 will ensure students have the resources necessary for future success inside and outside of the classroom.
Education officials recently reported that prior to the pandemic, chronic absenteeism percentages in Georgia schools hovered around 12 percent. They went on to say that the rate of chronic absenteeism has increased significantly and for the past 3 years has sustained a consistent rate above 20 percent.
“For far too long, absenteeism has affected our communities and inhibited Georgia students from reaching their full potential,” said Sen. Kennedy. “This legislation will enable local school districts to identify and implement protocols that directly address this issue, get our chronically absent students back in the classroom and ensure they have the necessary resources to build a foundation for future success.”
Kennedy says the number of students chronically absent in Georgia doubled between 2019 and 2023 – a clear indicator of a growing crisis across the state. In 2024, 21.7 percent of students – or nearly 360,000 young people – missed 10 percent or more school days.
“Georgia law addressing chronic absenteeism has not been updated in 18 years, and we must take action to give our kids a chance at a brighter future,” Kennedy said,
According to Kennedy, SB 123 will address this growing crisis head on by prohibiting schools from expelling students solely on absenteeism, requiring local school districts to adopt policies and strategies that provide targeted support, and mandating schools to create attendance review teams that report their progress to the General Assembly.
“School attendance is crucial to student success, and these solutions will create the best approach moving forward that combats this pressing issue and puts all Georgia students, no matter their zip code, first,” Kennedy said.
‘Chronic absenteeism’ refers to the number of students missing 10 percent or more of school days for any reason, divided by the number of students enrolled.
“Particularly as we continue to focus on academic recovery after the instructional disruptions of the pandemic, it’s essential that students are attending school daily and accessing the full curriculum,” State School Superintendent Richard Woods said recently. “We are committed to combating chronic absenteeism and ensuring schools are equipped to reduce barriers to attendance and address issues that cause students and families to disengage from school. This is a key area of focus for our Office of Whole Child Supports heading into the new year.”
Recently, GaDOE’s Office of Whole Child Supports hosted an Attendance Summit for Georgia agencies and policymakers. Representatives of multiple state agencies, education organizations, and school districts, attended the summit which was held to “increase awareness and foster collaborative relationships in an effort to promote next steps to reduce chronic absenteeism.”
