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.
Republican State Rep. Matt Dubnik sponsored Senate Bill 123 in the House.
“The bottom line is education is our key to giving our students the next leg up in life, and the first step to achieving that is simply being present,” Dubnik said.
The legislation passed the Georgia House 160 to 1 on Tuesday, and it previously passed the state Senate unanimously.
SB 123 directs school climate committees to create policies addressing chronic absenteeism.
School systems with a chronic absenteeism rate of at least 10% or that have one or more schools with a rate of 15% or higher would also establish attendance review teams, composed of school employees and parents, to create intervention plans for students who are often absent.
Senate President Pro Tempore John F. Kennedy, the author of the bill, called the passage of the bill a “major victory” for students.
“Once SB 123 is signed into law, school systems will be better equipped to understand the root causes of absenteeism, intervene earlier, and build a stronger system for recognizing and addressing warning signs,” Kennedy said in a Wednesday press release. “Our goal is to respond to absenteeism fairly and constructively, not punitively, and this legislation is a positive step toward real reform in Georgia’s education system for the benefit of our children.”
