House and Senate Absenteeism Study Committees Hold Joint Meeting
- Robert Aycock
- Oct 7
- 4 min read
The Senate Study Committee on Combating Chronic Absenteeism in Schools and the House Study Committee on Student Attendance in PreK-12 Education held a joint meeting Sept. 22 at the Georgia State Capitol.
During the meeting, members from both committees heard from a number of organizations on a wide range of topics, including recommendations to combat chronic absenteeism.
rn ore about Issues Facing Special Education Teachers In PAGE's Educator Workforce Survey Report
PAGE Survey Shows Educators Believe Absenteeism is a Major Issue More than 90% of responding Georgia educators believe that chronic absenteeism is an issue in their schools. Over half report it is a major issue. This is just one of the many interesting findings presented in the recently released 2025 PAGE Educator Workforce Survey Report. Click on the link to the right to gain valuable insights into the state of Georgia's public education workforce and educators' perspectives on several important topics. PAGE member feedback from this and other surveys is already being reflected in the discussions of both study committees. Thank you for participating in these important information-gathering endeavors, and please be on the lookout for PAGE's upcoming 2025 Policy Survey. |
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Judge Harris Details Cobb County SASCC
Ann Harris, chief judge of the Cobb County Superior Court, spoke about the development and impact of Cobb's Student Attendance and School Climate Committee (SASCC). Harris opened her presentation by citing several statistics demonstrating the detrimental effects of dropping out of school, including lower earnings and reduced life expectancy. She noted that the most common precursor leading to a student dropping out of school is missing too many school days.
Harris reported that Cobb is among 16 judicial circuits that have developed a SASCC protocol. She outlined the development process, current structure, and future plans of the Cobb SASCC protocol. Among the services provided by the SASCC to combat chronic absenteeism are an attendance protocol with community-based interventions, a progressive pre-court discipline protocol, and a truancy notification process. Harris also provided several key takeaways for other communities to consider.
GOSA Provides Data Showing Wide Impact of Chronic Absenteeism
MJ Kim, director of policy, research, and evaluation at the Governor's Office of Student Achievement (GOSA), shared extensive research regarding the reach and damage of chronic absenteeism. Kim showed that, like other states, Georgia saw a significant increase in chronic absenteeism following the COVID-19 pandemic. Rates have begun to decrease but remain above pre-pandemic levels in Georgia and nationwide.
The increase in chronic absenteeism rates is across all student demographic subgroups. Turning to the academic impact of increased absenteeism, Kim demonstrated that higher absenteeism rates directly correlate with worsening academic outcomes. She noted that negative impacts are most acutely affecting vulnerable populations such as students with disabilities and economically disadvantaged students. Kim emphasized that addressing chronic absenteeism will support Georgia's students and safeguard the state’s future workforce.
House study committee chair Chris Erwin (R-Homer) inquired whether Georgia’s chronic absenteeism rate will continue to decrease. Kim replied that ongoing efforts to address the issue make further decreases achievable. Sen. Shawn Still (R- Johns Creek) asked if certain areas of the state show higher levels of chronic absenteeism. Kim replied that her team examined this data but has not been able to establish a complete explanation about why some areas demonstrate higher absenteeism than others.
Voice for Georgia's Children and DBHDD Speak About Apex and Student Mental Health Supports
Dimple Desai, a senior policy analyst for Voices for Georgia Children, briefed committee members on the Georgia Apex Program, as well as school-based behavioral health programs and school-based health centers. She explained how these programs can help provide essential services to students, enhance school climate, and address chronic absenteeism. Desai noted the importance of school social workers and stated that increasing this workforce will directly impact chronic absenteeism.
Christy Doyle at the Department of Behavioral Health and Disability (DBHDD) provided members with a more in-depth overview of the Apex Program. Sen. Billy Hickman (R-Statesboro) asked why the Apex Program is not found in more schools. Doyle responded that this could be due to many factors. Some schools have their own, separate programs, while other counties may lack a clinical partner for Apex to work with. Doyle noted that DBHDD is working to establish an internship program that could provide a workforce pipeline to rural areas.
Georgia Appleseed Explores Absenteeism Root Causes
Darlene Lynch, legal & policy director at the Georgia Appleseed Center for Law and Justice, also addressed the impacts of SASCCs. She described several possible root causes of chronic absenteeism. Lynch reiterated that school climate is linked to chronic absenteeism and expressed concern that punitive and exclusionary discipline practices may increase student absenteeism. She noted the recently passed HB 268 may exacerbate enrollment delays due to record sharing demands. Beyond discipline, Lynch reported that student transportation barriers are a major challenge. Lynch provided several recommendations to address chronic absenteeism.
School Nurses Highlight Student Health Concerns
Melanie Bales and Lynne Meadows spoke on behalf of the Georgia Association of School Nurses (GASN). They discussed multiple health-related factors contributing to chronic absenteeism and how school nurses can address these issues. Multiple barriers exist that can prevent nurses from serving students, including the fact that some nurses must split their time across multiple schools.
Responding to a question from Erwin, Bales noted that only 37% of Georgia schools have a full-time nurse. Bales and Meadows concluded by providing several recommendations to strengthen the school nurse workforce and combat student absenteeism.
Multiple Groups Discuss Impact of Afterschool Programs
The remainder of the meeting included presentations by afterschool program groups. The Georgia Statewide Afterschool Network (GSAN) provided a general overview of how afterschool programs can benefit students and combat chronic absenteeism. Representatives from multiple providers then spoke in more detail about their programs.
Presenting groups included Big Brothers Big Sisters, Boys and Girls Club of Atlanta, and the YMCA.
 | Next Meeting The Senate Study Committee on Combating Chronic Absenteeism in Schools is set to meet Oct. 16. The House Study Committee on Student Attendance in PreK-12 Education did not set a time for its next meeting. |
