--- title: HB 1471. Georgia Student Mental Health Days Act; enact collection: bills id: 2025-2026/hb1471 cite_as: HB 1471, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1471 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1471.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1471/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/73724 date: 2026-03-04 status: introduced corpus_version: bills-2026-09-13 license: Public record of the Georgia General Assembly, via LegiScan; see about.md publisher: Georgia Commons, an independent project of Georgia Civic Data. Not the State of Georgia. Not legal advice. up: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026.md previous: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1470.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1472.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 129 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1471.md?full=1 bill_number: HB 1471 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: House bill_type: bill status_date: 2026-02-26 last_action: House Second Readers sponsors: - Viola Davis - Sandra Scott - Kim Schofield text_version: Introduced has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HB1471/2025 upstream_id: 2125973 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - student mental health - school attendance policy - public education - school absences --- # HB 1471. Georgia Student Mental Health Days Act; enact ## Text House Bill 1471 By: Representatives Davis of the 87th, Scott of the 76th, and Schofield of the 63rd A BILL TO BE ENTITLED AN ACT To amend Subpart 2 of Part 1 of Article 16 of Chapter 2 of Title 20 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to compulsory attendance relative to elementary and secondary school students, so as to require the local governing body for each school system and public school to adopt a policy providing that students shall be granted excused absences for up to five mental health days per school year; to require local school systems and public schools to provide information to students and parents about available mental health resources; to require the State Board of Education to develop a model policy; to provide a definition; to provide a short title; to provide for an effective date and applicability; to provide for related matters; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA: SECTION 1. This Act shall be known and may be cited as the "Georgia Student Mental Health Days Act." SECTION 2. Subpart 2 of Part 1 of Article 16 of Chapter 2 of Title 20 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to compulsory attendance relative to elementary and secondary school students, is amended by adding a new Code section to read as follows: "20-2-692.5. (a) As used in this Code section, the term 'mental health day' means an absence from school due to a student's mental health or emotional well-being. (b) The local governing body of each local school system and public school shall adopt a policy providing that a student shall be granted an excused absence, up to a maximum of five school days per school year, for a mental health day. Such policy shall provide for: (1) Notification by the parent or guardian of a student, or the student if he or she is 18 years of age or older or is an emancipated minor, to the local school system or public school that such student will be absent for a mental health day; and (2) Documentation of absences excused in accordance with this Code section. (c) No local school system or public school shall require a student or his or her parent or guardian to disclose information related to such student's mental health or emotional well-being in order to have an absence excused pursuant to this Code section. (d) At the beginning of each school year or upon enrollment, each public school shall notify the parent or guardian of each student of all mental health resources or services, if any, available through such public school. (e) The State Board of Education shall develop a model policy for use by local school systems and public schools in accordance with this Code section." SECTION 3. This Act shall become effective on July 1, 2026, and shall apply beginning with the 2026-2027 school year. SECTION 4. All laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are repealed. ## Summaries written by Georgia Commons The following was written by claude-sonnet-5 from the text above and is not part of the bill. Quote the text, not the summary. A Georgia House bill would let public school students take up to five excused mental health days per school year without having to explain their condition, starting in the 2026-2027 school year. ### Plain-language summary Under current Georgia law, students who miss school for reasons other than physical illness or specific approved excuses can face unexcused absences. This bill, called the Georgia Student Mental Health Days Act, would require every local school system and public school in Georgia to adopt a policy granting students excused absences for up to five mental health days per school year. Parents, guardians, or students who are 18 or older or emancipated would need to notify the school that the absence is for a mental health day, and schools would have to keep documentation, but schools could not require students to disclose details about their mental health condition. Schools would also have to tell parents and guardians about available mental health resources at the start of each year or upon enrollment. The State Board of Education would create a model policy for districts to use. The law would take effect July 1, 2026, starting with the 2026-2027 school year. ### What it does - Requires every local school system and public school to adopt a policy allowing up to five excused absences per school year for mental health days. - Defines a mental health day as an absence due to a student's mental health or emotional well-being. - Requires parents, guardians, or eligible students to notify the school of a mental health absence and requires the school to document it. - Bars schools from requiring students or parents to disclose details about the student's mental health condition to get the absence excused. - Requires schools to notify parents and guardians about available mental health resources at the start of the school year or upon enrollment. - Directs the State Board of Education to create a model policy for local school systems and public schools to follow. ### Who it affects Public school students and their parents or guardians across Georgia, local school systems and public schools that must adopt and administer the new attendance policy, and the State Board of Education, which must develop a model policy for districts to use. ### Why it matters Students who need time off for mental health reasons would gain a guaranteed, privacy-protected path to an excused absence, similar to a sick day, without having to disclose personal details. Schools would take on new administrative duties, including tracking these absences and informing families about mental health resources. ### Key provisions - Section 2 adds new Code section 20-2-692.5 defining a mental health day as an absence due to a student's mental health or emotional well-being. - Subsection (b) requires local school systems and public schools to grant up to five excused mental health absences per school year and to require notification and documentation. - Subsection (c) prohibits schools from requiring disclosure of mental health details as a condition of excusing the absence. - Subsection (d) requires schools to notify parents or guardians of available mental health resources at the start of the year or upon enrollment. - Subsection (e) directs the State Board of Education to develop a model policy for local systems and schools to use. - Section 3 sets the effective date as July 1, 2026, applying starting with the 2026-2027 school year. ## Status - Status: Introduced (2026-02-26) - Last action: House Second Readers (2026-03-04) - Sponsors: Viola Davis, Sandra Scott, Kim Schofield - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/73724 > The history, votes, and amendments (129 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1471.md?full=1