---
title: O.C.G.A. § 20-2-870. Right to leave for jury duty or when subpoenaed to testify in case arising from duties as teacher; teacher not to pay substitute; retention of juror’s compensation.
collection: code
id: 20-2-870
cite_as: O.C.G.A. § 20-2-870 (2025)
canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/code/20-2-870
md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/code/20-2-870.md
text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/code/20-2-870/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=745
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/20-2-853.md
next: https://georgiacommons.org/code/20-2-874.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 / TEACHERS AND OTHER SCHOOL PERSONNEL / JURY LEAVE FOR TEACHERS
---

# O.C.G.A. § 20-2-870. Right to leave for jury duty or when subpoenaed to testify in case arising from duties as teacher; teacher not to pay substitute; retention of juror’s compensation.

Each person employed as a teacher in any public school of this state shall be allowed a leave of absence without loss of pay and without deduction of any amounts otherwise received as compensation for service as a teacher, for the purpose of attending any court as a juror or when subpoenaed to testify in a case arising out of the person’s duties as a teacher, such as the reporting of child abuse required by Code Section 19-7-5. Any teacher who serves as a juror or witness as provided in this Code section shall not have the jury or witness leave deducted from sick, personal, or professional leave. No teacher utilizing jury or witness leave under this Code section shall be required to pay the cost of employing a substitute teacher to serve in his absence on such jury or witness leave, and local boards of education may adopt policies regarding the retention by teachers of the compensation for serving on a jury.

## History

Ga. L. 1977, p. 800, § 1; Ga. L. 1986, p. 498, § 1.

## Cross References

Jury service generally, T. 15, C. 12.