A Georgia bill that prohibits schools from expelling chronically absent students will now head to the governor’s desk for a final signature.
The bill defines “chronically absent” as those missing 10% or more of the school year.
Georgia’s chronic absenteeism rate was 21.3% in 2024, and Atlanta Public Schools had an even higher rate of 34.5%. These percentages saw a spike during the COVID-19 pandemic but have not reached pre-pandemic levels. In fact, Georgia’s rate in 2024 is higher than its rate of 20.1% in 2021.
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