Georgia study committee is briefed on rising chronic absenteeism, possible fixes including nurses, social workers and early-warning systems

A Georgia House study committee convened to examine student attendance heard on Monday that chronic absenteeism in the state rose sharply after the COVID-19 pandemic and now affects tens of thousands of students, with early-grade absences particularly acute.

The panel, created under House resolution HR 711 (LC520861S), was told by Gary McGivony, chair of a student-attendance subcommittee of the Georgia Reading Cabinet, that statewide chronic absenteeism reached 21.3 percent in the 2023–24 school year and that roughly 20 percent of students miss three weeks or more of school in a year. McGivony said the subcommittee’s six-month review linked absences to lasting learning loss and recommended multiple prevention and intervention strategies.

Why it matters: presenters said the academic consequences are measurable and large. McGivony cited an Atlanta Regional Commission model estimating that a 5 percent reduction in absenteeism could raise third-grade English language arts proficiency from 38.4 percent to roughly 45 percent, producing thousands more proficient readers. Justin Hill of the Georgia Department of Education highlighted a public dashboard intended to help districts and schools identify problem areas quickly and track subgroups such as students with disabilities and economically disadvantaged students.

Key findings and data: McGivony told the committee the state’s chronic-absence rate rose from about 12 percent in 2018–19 to 21.3 percent in 2023–24, and that increases span grade levels and student groups. He said 28 percent of pre-K students and more than 33 percent of 12th graders miss three or more weeks of school; roughly half of kindergarten and first-grade students miss six to 15 days in a year. McGivony also said research shows significant learning loss after five cumulative days absent and cited studies tying early absenteeism to later lower reading and math outcomes.

Recommendations and promising practices: presenters urged a multi-pronged approach rather than single fixes. McGivony and DOE staff pointed to early-warning systems that flag students as attendance problems begin, stronger family engagement, more school social workers, expanded school nursing and onsite or telehealth services, routine vision and hearing screening at multiple grade levels, continued use of PBIS (Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports) and MTSS (Multi-Tiered System of Supports), and community partnerships to fill families’ basic needs.

DOE dashboard and supports: Justin Hill, deputy superintendent for whole-child supports at the Georgia Department of Education, walked committee members through a public “Georgia Insights” attendance dashboard that lets users view chronic-absence rates by system, school, grade and student subgroup and produce heat maps for comparison. Hill said the department received a $500,000 federal grant (Strong Connections) to expand technical assistance, has run webinars and summits, and is partnering with Attendance Works and other agencies to provide training and school-level coaching.

Top reported reasons for missing school: Hill said the state’s school-climate survey data list the top reasons students report missing school as: illness without a doctor visit, scheduled medical appointments, bad weather, school scheduled events, family vacation, family emergency and feeling too tired (the latter higher among high-school students).

Community-based support: Carol Lewis, president and CEO of Communities in Schools Georgia, and program manager Frederick Stanley described the nonprofit’s school-site model. Lewis said Communities in Schools (CIS) serves roughly 246 school sites statewide and reaches about 119,000 students annually; she told the committee that among students CIS case-manages, 72 percent showed improved attendance and 98 percent of CIS-supported high‑school students remained in school. Stanley described the daily work of site coordinators: case management, home visits, family engagement and connecting students to food, clothing, health care, transportation or tutoring when those needs impair attendance.

Legal and local structures: the speakers referenced existing state code that encourages local “attendance teams” convened by superior court judges (with examples in Fulton, Cobb, Richmond and other counties) and noted Senate Bill 123’s efforts to re-establish and strengthen that code section. McGivony said some judges have not yet convened the required committees, and presenters urged fuller local implementation.

Next steps from the committee: Chairman Chris Erwin asked members to submit by email their top three concerns for the committee to prioritize at the next meeting. The committee tentatively scheduled a follow-up meeting for Sept. 22; presenters offered to provide the department and committee with requested data and reports for further study.

The meeting produced no formal votes or legislative actions. The presenters and committee members emphasized that reducing chronic absenteeism will require coordinated local, state and community investments rather than a single statewide policy.

Ending: Committee members commended the presenters and said they would use the DOE dashboard and the subcommittee report to focus the next meeting on a shorter list of policy options and potential funding priorities.