---
title: O.C.G.A. § 20-2-698. Peace officers may take temporary custody of truant children away from home.
collection: code
id: 20-2-698
cite_as: O.C.G.A. § 20-2-698 (2025)
canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/code/20-2-698
md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/code/20-2-698.md
text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/code/20-2-698/text
source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/api/document/docs/default-source/joint-features-document-library/t20-ch1-2a-(v17)-2022-pdf.pdf?sfvrsn=9db936c6_0#page=666
date: 2025
status: active
corpus_version: 2025-supplement-89aa39ab3c68
license: CC0-1.0
publisher: Georgia Commons, an independent project of Georgia Civic Data. Not the State of Georgia. Not legal advice.
up: https://georgiacommons.org/code/20-2.md
previous: https://georgiacommons.org/code/20-2-697.md
next: https://georgiacommons.org/code/20-2-699.md
index: https://georgiacommons.org/code/index.md
version: the only printed version
in_force: true
current_through: Including Acts of the 2025 Regular Session of the General Assembly
heading_path: EDUCATION / ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION / STUDENTS / SCHOOL ATTENDANCE / Compulsory Attendance
---

# O.C.G.A. § 20-2-698. Peace officers may take temporary custody of truant children away from home.

Any peace officer may assume temporary custody, during school hours, of any child subject to compulsory school attendance who is found away from home and who is absent from a public or private school or a home study program without a valid written excuse from school officials or from the parent or guardian in charge of the home study program.

## History

Ga. L. 1976, p. 768, § 1; Ga. L. 1984, p. 1266, § 5.

## Cross References

Custody and release of child, § 15-11-500 et seq.