SB247: SB247 Sick, Personal, and Maternity Leave for Teachers; the number of accumulated sick leave days teachers may take for personal or professional reasons; increase

Under current Georgia law (O.C.G.A. § 20-2-851), teachers and other school personnel may use up to three of their accumulated sick leave days each school year for personal or professional reasons, as long as they get prior approval from the local school superintendent and the absence does not conflict with local board policy on essential attendance days. This bill raises that cap from three days to five days. The rest of the law stays the same: schools still cannot require employees to disclose the specific reason for the absence, though employees can be asked to say only whether it falls under the 'personal' or 'professional' category. The bill repeals any conflicting laws but does not state a specific effective date beyond the standard process for bills signed into law.

• Increases from three to five the number of accumulated sick leave days teachers and other school personnel may use each school year for personal or professional reasons.
• Keeps the existing requirement that absences get prior approval from the local school superintendent or a designated representative.
• Preserves the rule that approval cannot be denied for refusing to state the specific reason for an absence, only whether it is 'personal' or 'professional'.
• Retains the limit that such absences cannot conflict with local school board policy on days when an employee's presence is considered essential.

Public school teachers and other school personnel across Georgia who accumulate sick leave, as well as local school superintendents and boards of education who approve and set policy around these absences.

Teachers and school staff would gain two extra paid days each year to handle personal matters or professional obligations without using leave for illness, while local superintendents keep their existing authority to approve or schedule around these absences.

• Section 1 amends O.C.G.A. § 20-2-851 to raise the annual cap on personal or professional use of accumulated sick leave from three days to five days.
• Section 1 keeps the requirement that the local school superintendent or an authorized representative approve the absence in advance.
• Section 1 keeps the protection that approval cannot be conditioned on disclosing the specific purpose of the absence, only whether it is personal or professional.
• Section 2 repeals all laws and parts of laws that conflict with the bill.

1. 2025-02-26Senate Read and Referred (Senate)
2. 2025-02-24Senate Hopper (Senate)

• Shawn Still (R, SD-048)Primary sponsor
• Steve Gooch (R, SD-051)
• John Kennedy (R, SD-018)
• Billy Hickman (R, SD-004)
• Greg Dolezal (R, SD-027)
• Clint Dixon (R, SD-045)

• teacher leave
• school personnel policy
• sick leave
• education law