Senate Absenteeism Study Committee Holds Final Meeting
- Robert Aycock
- 2 days ago
- 4 min read
The Senate Study Committee on Combating Chronic Absenteeism in Schools met for the final time Nov. 20 at the Georgia State Capitol. Following presentations from multiple student support services providers, committee members recessed to draft the final report.
Educators Share Views on Student Absenteeism in Upcoming PAGE Report Results from the 2025 PAGE Legislative Policy Survey indicate educators perceive chronic student absenteeism as a significant challenge. Nearly 87% of responding teachers report chronic absenteeism has a negative impact on student learning outcomes in their schools. This lost learning time forces teachers to spend time, both in and out of class, remediating chronically absent students. Furthermore, nearly two-thirds say chronic absenteeism also hurts students who are actually present in class. More findings on this important topic and many others will be detailed in the full report, which PAGE will release soon. |
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Organizations Share How They Partner With Schools to Support Attendance
Carol Lewis, president and CEO of Communities in Schools Georgia (CIS,) discussed how the organization helps schools provide wraparound services to students through a tiered intervention approach. Lewis also shared statistics on how these services can positively impact students.
Sen. Billy Hickman (R-Statesboro) inquired why CIS has not been able to expand into more schools. Lewis replied that finding enough qualified workers is an obstacle.
Sarah Mathew, director of national partnerships at CharacterStrong, spoke about how the organization provides curriculum, training, and frameworks to support schools in improving student behavior and combating chronic absenteeism. Mathew also stated that students who feel disconnected from school are more prone to be chronically absent.
Responding to questions about fostering positive school climate, Mathew stated that CharacterStrong provides professional development training on this topic for school administrators.
Juliana Chen and Jillian Kelton from Cartwheel, explained how their organization can support school-based mental health staff through public-private partnerships. Cartwheel staff also requested expanded mental health funding and asked that state grants extend down to the elementary school level.
Study Committee Releases Final Report
Following the presentations, committee members recessed to draft the study committee's final report. The report was formally released following the meeting and incorporates the following recommendations:
1. Direct the State Board of Education to review, revise, and modernize existing truancy-related notification requirements to ensure that communications to parents and guardians are clear, accessible, and focused on early engagement and intervention
2. Upon a student reaching a designated threshold of chronic absenteeism as defined by state law or regulation, such student be deemed ineligible to participate in school-sponsored athletic programs or extracurricular activities until the student and their parent or guardian have appeared before the local attendance review team for the purpose of developing and entering into an approved attendance improvement plan
3. Statutory authority be granted to local attendance review teams to impose remedial measures, including the temporary suspension of a student’s instructional permit or driver’s license, upon a determination that the student has become chronically absent and has failed to comply with an established attendance improvement plan
4. Establish a clear statutory definition of chronic absenteeism and align a “day of attendance” definition statewide, as well as address ambiguities regarding the oversight of CHINS cases
5. Amend O.C.G.A. § 20-2-690.1 to ensure absence is never a reason for exclusionary discipline
6. Focus on real-time data publications and encourage school districts to share attendance data for all students moving districts under the requirements of HB 268
7. Provide vision and hearing screening at multiple grade levels
8. Review and revise Georgia’s therapist licensure requirements to reduce unnecessary administrative steps
9. Emphasize the importance of attendance as students enter kindergarten, rather than targeting only school-aged youth
10. Require public, disaggregated reporting of chronic-absence rates by school, grade, and subgroup
11. Require all districts and charter schools to adopt a three-tier attendance model: universal prevention (Tier 1), targeted supports (Tier 2), and individualized/intensive interventions (Tier 3)
12. Ensure documentation that supports were attempted (especially at Tiers 1 & 2) before any referral to court or broader consequences
13. Mandate school or district-level attendance teams in schools exceeding a certain threshold with monthly reviews and home‐community outreach
14. Develop a statewide real-time attendance dashboard and early-warning system so districts can act when concerns first appear rather than wait until late in the year
15. Fund wraparound services directly tied to attendance outcomes (e.g., school nurses, counselors, social workers, mental-health telehealth, reliable transportation, after-school and mentorship programs)
16. Establish a branded campaign as attendance-improvement investments and polices (e.g., a “Everyday
Counts Act” initiative, similar to the Georgia Early Literacy Act)
17. Implement structured communication thresholds and require parent-signed attendance-improvement
plans when thresholds are met. The revised notification should adopt best-practice language and formatting consistent with models utilized in other states including, but not limited to, the sample chronic absence notification letter promulgated by the Louisiana Department of Education
18. Before court-referral, require documented home visits/case management, an attendance plan, and offer of supports, reserving court or civil sanctions after those supports are implemented or a parent refuses
to engage
19. Create a standing cross-agency task force (education, juvenile justice, health, housing, transportation) to share data, coordinate supports, and jointly set a five-year goal similar to the Georgia Literacy
Council (e.g., reduce chronic absenteeism by 50% and sunset after rates are back to pre-pandemic levels)
20. Improve school climate
21. Expand teacher preparedness
22. Prohibit cellphones in high schools
 | Next Meeting The Senate Study Committee on Combating Chronic Absenteeism in Schools has concluded its work and is not expected to meet again.
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