House Absenteeism Study Committee Holds Final Meeting

The  House Study Committee on Student Attendance in PreK-12 Education held its final meeting Nov. 5 at the Georgia State Capitol.

The meeting addressed school mental health resources with a specific focus on school social workers. Committee members also shared their policy priorities

ore about Issues Facing Special Education Teachers In PAGE's Educator Workforce Survey Report

Learn More about Educator Views on Student Absenteeism in Upcoming PAGE Report

Thank you to the nearly 3,000 educators who took part in the survey and shared views on many important school-related issues.



 The PAGE survey report will be released in the upcoming weeks and it will focus on topics such as chronic absenteeism, teacher mentoring, and political support for public education.

School Social Workers Describe Their Role in Promoting Attendance

Cory Lowe, president of the School Social Workers Association of Georgia (SSWAG), presented on behalf of the organization. He began by thanking legislators for securing funding to allow all districts to afford a social worker. SSWAG is supporting this investment by providing technical support and mentoring assistance to these districts and new social workers. Lowe reiterated how chronic absenteeism can negatively impact academic outcomes and weaken Georgia’s workforce. He described the differences between school social workers, counselors, and psychologists. Lowe emphasized that social workers help bridge the gap between home and school by focusing on mental well-being and crisis prevention. 

Lowe asserted that the current funding ratio and staffing levels for social workers leave them reacting to issues instead of proactively addressing them. While he acknowledged that achieving the best practice ratio of one social worker for every 250 students is not currently realistic, Lowe urged lawmakers to pursue further increases in social worker funding. He also asked that social workers be directly funded via QBE.

Responding to a question from committee chair, Rep. Chris Erwin (R-Homer), Lowe contended that enough social workers could be hired and suggested various funding options to support increasing their number.

Committee members requested more information on school social worker and nurse staffing levels across Georgia districts and questioned whether these levels showed any correlation with absenteeism rates. Erwin asked representatives from the Georgia Department of Education (GaDOE) if the department could procure this information.

Cartwheel Discusses District Partnerships

Representatives from Cartwheel described their program and how school districts can partner with the organization to provide mental health care to students.

Rep. Rick Townsend (R-Brunswick) spoke in support of the program and seconded the importance of providing mental health care for elementary school students.

Rep. Lydia Glaize (D-Fairburn) asked how students without insurance can access the program. Cartwheel stated that they are working with their current funding to ensure they can provide service to students, regardless of student insurance status.

Responding to a question by Rep. Carmen Rice (R-Columbus), Cartwheel representatives stated that their care follows students who transfer to a different district, even if that district does not partner with Cartwheel.

Committee Members Share Priorities

At the conclusion of the meeting, Erwin asked committee members to share what policies, programs, or strategies they believe should be prioritized to combat chronic absenteeism. Suggested priorities include funding more school nurses, increasing the number of school mental health staff, investing in public-private partnerships, exploring additional uses of telehealth, and examining ways to improve court processes. Multiple committee members emphasized the need to support families and ensure that parents understand the importance of regular student attendance.

Next Meeting No further meetings of the House Study Committee on Student Attendance in PreK-12 Education are scheduled.