SB 123: Compulsory Attendance; provisions of the state's compulsory school attendance laws; update and revise

Georgia currently requires children ages six to sixteen to attend a public school, private school, or home study program, but the law's language on absences, withdrawals, and enforcement had grown outdated. This bill rewrites Code Section 20-2-690.1 and related sections to update terminology (replacing 'mandatory' with 'compulsory' and removing references to 'other persons' with control of a child, leaving only parents and guardians), and it adds a flat ban on expelling a student from a public school solely for absences. The bill defines 'chronically absent' as missing 10 percent or more of enrolled school days, and requires local school systems with a chronic absenteeism rate of 10 percent or higher, or any school at 15 percent or higher, to form an attendance review team that meets monthly. Each county's existing student attendance and school climate committee must meet by November 1, 2025 and adopt a new attendance protocol by June 1, 2026. The bill also lets students taking military entrance exams or physical exams be counted present rather than absent. It takes effect July 1, 2025.

• Prohibits public schools from expelling a student due solely to that student's absences from school.
• Defines 'chronically absent' as missing 10 percent or more of a student's enrolled school days in a year and requires local school systems above certain absenteeism thresholds to create monthly attendance review teams.
• Requires each county's student attendance and school climate committee to meet by November 1, 2025 and at least twice a year afterward, and to adopt a written attendance protocol by June 1, 2026.
• Credits students taking military service or National Guard entrance tests and physical exams as present rather than absent for any missed school time.
• Replaces references to 'parent, guardian, or other person having control or charge of the child' with just 'parent or guardian' throughout the compulsory attendance law.
• Requires the Department of Education to submit a county-by-county compliance report, including attendance and discipline data, to legislative education committees starting in 2026.

Public school students between ages six and sixteen and their parents or guardians, local school systems and their attendance review teams, county chief superior court judges who oversee attendance committees, school principals handling student withdrawals, and the Georgia Department of Education, which must collect data and report to lawmakers.

Students who miss a lot of school could no longer be expelled for that reason alone, and schools with high absenteeism would have to set up structured teams and intervention plans rather than relying only on punishment. Families would also see attendance rules apply only to parents or guardians, not other caregivers, changing who bears legal responsibility.

• Section 2 rewrites Code Section 20-2-690.1 to bar expulsion solely for absences and clarifies that exemptions, excused absences, and other statutory exceptions do not count against compulsory attendance.
• Section 3 requires county student attendance and school climate committees to meet by November 1, 2025, adopt protocols by June 1, 2026, and address chronic absenteeism in those protocols.
• Section 4 creates new Code Section 20-2-690.3, defining 'chronically absent' (10 percent or more of enrolled days) and requiring attendance review teams for systems or schools above set absenteeism thresholds, meeting at least monthly.
• Section 6 creates new Code Section 20-2-692.4, crediting students as present rather than absent when taking military or National Guard entrance tests and physical exams.
• Section 3 also adds a reporting requirement directing the Department of Education to send a county-by-county compliance and attendance data report to House and Senate education committees starting in 2026.
• Sections 1, 2, 5, 7, and 8 replace 'mandatory' with 'compulsory' and remove references to 'other person' having control of a child, narrowing responsibility to parents and guardians.
• Section 10 sets the effective date as July 1, 2025.

1. 2025-07-01Effective Date
2. 2025-04-28Act 16
3. 2025-04-28Senate Date Signed by Governor (Senate)
4. 2025-04-07Senate Sent to Governor (Senate)
5. 2025-03-25House Passed/Adopted (House)
6. 2025-03-25House Third Readers (House)
7. 2025-03-21House Committee Favorably Reported (House)
8. 2025-02-28House Second Readers (House)

• John F. Kennedy (R, SD-18)Primary sponsor
• Billy Hickman (R, SD-4)
• Bo Hatchett (R, SD-50)
• Steve Gooch (R, SD-51)
• Randy Robertson (R, SD-29)
• Brandon Beach (R, SD-21)
• John Albers (R, SD-56)
• Brian Strickland (R, SD-42)
• Clint Dixon (R, SD-45)
• Shawn Still (R, SD-48)
• Chuck Payne (R, SD-54)
• Chuck Hufstetler (R, SD-52)
• Jason Anavitarte (R, SD-31)
• Greg Dolezal (R, SD-27)
• Lee Anderson (R, SD-24)
• Matt Brass (R, SD-6)
• Mike Hodges (R, SD-3)
• Ben Watson (R, SD-1)
• Bill Cowsert (R, SD-46)
• Drew Echols (R, SD-49)
• Kay Kirkpatrick (R, SD-32)
• Matt Dubnik (R, HD-29)

1. PassedSenate voteFebruary 26, 2025

   54 yea, 0 nay (0 not voting, 2 excused)

   PASSAGE: Senate Vote #96

2. PassedHouse voteMarch 25, 2025

   160 yea, 1 nay (10 not voting, 9 excused)

   PASSAGE: House Vote #305

• school attendance
• student discipline
• chronic absenteeism
• education policy
• school expulsion rules