SB513: SB513 "Every Day Counts Act"; enact

Georgia law already requires schools to identify chronically absent students, but this bill rewrites those rules in detail. It creates a three-tier system: school-wide supports for all students, targeted help for students at risk of frequent unexcused absences, and individual written attendance intervention plans for students who become "chronically unexcused" (more than five unexcused absences in the first 50 days, or 10 percent of school days afterward). School districts with high absenteeism rates must set up attendance review teams that meet monthly, work with families, and put plans in writing. Students who don't follow their plan become ineligible for extracurricular and interscholastic activities until they meet with the review team, and the Department of Education must report noncompliance to the Department of Driver Services. That agency in turn could deny or revoke an instruction permit or driver's license for a person under 18 who is not complying with their plan, unless the student is enrolled in a home education program or otherwise exempt. The changes take effect July 1, 2027.

• Creates a three-tier framework schools must use, from school-wide attendance support up to individualized written attendance intervention plans for chronically unexcused students.
• Requires school districts and schools with high chronic absenteeism rates to form attendance review teams that meet at least monthly and develop plans with families.
• Makes chronically unexcused students ineligible for extracurricular and interscholastic activities until they meet with the attendance review team and get a plan in place.
• Requires the Department of Education to report noncompliance with attendance intervention plans to the Department of Driver Services for students ages 15 to 17.
• Changes the rules for issuing a driver's license or instruction permit to a minor, tying eligibility to compliance with an attendance intervention plan rather than just enrollment status.
• Directs the State Board of Education to publish model policies and a school enrollment certification form by July 1, 2027.

Public school students, especially those who are chronically absent or unexcused, and their parents or guardians. It also affects local school systems and school staff who must run attendance review teams, the Department of Education, and the Department of Driver Services, which handles teen driver's licenses and permits.

Georgia teenagers who repeatedly miss school without an excuse could lose access to sports, clubs, and other school activities, and could be blocked from getting a driver's license or instruction permit until they comply with an attendance plan. Schools would face new tracking and reporting duties starting in 2027.

• Section 2 revises O.C.G.A. § 20-2-320 so the Department of Education must share enrollment, expulsion, suspension, and attendance plan noncompliance data with the Department of Driver Services for minors ages 15 to 17.
• Section 3 rewrites O.C.G.A. § 20-2-690.3, adding definitions for 'attendance intervention plan' and 'chronically unexcused student' and creating the three-tier support framework.
• Section 3 requires districts with a 10 percent or higher chronic absenteeism rate, and individual schools with a 15 percent or higher rate, to form attendance review teams.
• Section 3 makes chronically unexcused students ineligible for extracurricular and interscholastic activities until a plan meeting occurs, and requires noncompliance notices to be sent to the Department of Education.
• Section 4 updates O.C.G.A. § 20-2-697 to let schools share attendance records with the Department of Driver Services for verifying compliance with attendance intervention plans.
• Section 5 revises O.C.G.A. § 40-5-22 so a minor's driver's license or permit eligibility depends on complying with an attendance intervention plan, with an exception for home education students.
• Section 6 sets the effective date for the entire Act as July 1, 2027.

1. 2026-04-02House Withdrawn, Recommitted (House)
2. 2026-04-02House Reconsidered (House)
3. 2026-04-02House Third Reading Lost (House)
4. 2026-04-02House Third Readers (House)
5. 2026-03-25House Committee Favorably Reported By Substitute (House)
6. 2026-03-04House Second Readers (House)
7. 2026-03-03House First Readers (House)
8. 2026-02-26Senate Passed/Adopted (Senate)

• Jason T. Dickerson (R, SD-021)Primary sponsor
• Larry Walker (R, SD-020)
• Jason Anavitarte (R, SD-031)
• Billy Hickman (R, SD-004)
• Clint Dixon (R, SD-045)
• RaShaun Kemp (D, SD-038)
• Freddie Sims (D, SD-012)
• Ricky Williams (R, SD-025)
• Marty Harbin (R, SD-016)
• Timothy Bearden (R, SD-030)
• Max Burns (R, SD-023)
• Sam Watson (R, SD-011)
• Chuck Hufstetler (R, SD-052)
• Frank Ginn (R, SD-047)
• Carden Summers (R, SD-013)
• John Albers (R, SD-056)
• Shawn Still (R, SD-048)
• Randy Robertson (R, SD-029)
• Lee Anderson (R, SD-024)
• Kay Kirkpatrick (R, SD-032)
• Scott Hilton (R, HD-048)

1. PassedSenate voteFebruary 26, 2026

   46 yea, 1 nay (3 not voting, 5 absent)

   Passage: Senate Vote #596

2. FailedHouse voteApril 2, 2026

   80 yea, 90 nay (2 not voting, 4 absent)

   Passage: House Vote #843

3. PassedHouse voteApril 2, 2026

   96 yea, 75 nay (2 not voting, 3 absent)

   Reconsider: House Vote #844

• school attendance
• chronic absenteeism
• teen driver's licenses
• student discipline
• education policy