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Senators flag rising chronic absenteeism as barrier to literacy and safety
Summary
Committee chair and members highlighted chronic absenteeism rates in Georgia and in Bullock County, saying missing three-plus weeks of school undermines literacy efforts and school-safety goals.
Senator Tillery, chairman of the Senate Education Committee, opened a committee session by warning that chronic absenteeism remains a significant problem across Georgia and within his home county, saying many students miss more than three weeks of school a year.
Chronic absenteeism matters because students cannot learn reading and other fundamental skills if they are not in class. "Chronic absenteeism, as defined by the Department of Education, is missing 10% or more of the 180 days a year," Tillery said, adding that 10% of 180 days equals about 18 days — "almost 3 and a half weeks."
Tillery gave county and statewide figures to illustrate the scope of the problem. He said Georgia's chronic-absenteeism rate was 22.6% in 2023 and 21.3% in 2024, and that Bullock County had rates of 23.9% in 2023 and 22.6% in 2024. He contrasted those numbers with lower rates reported in some counties — "Forsyth, Georgia, 17.8% in '23 and 11% in '24" — and much higher rates in urban districts: "Atlanta, 36.4% in '23, 34.5% in '24."
Committee members and the chairman framed chronic absenteeism as directly tied to the panel's stated priorities of school safety and literacy. Tillery said identifying the problem is a first step and urged the House and Senate education committees to work together on policy responses.
The remarks came at the start of a meeting that included two bills on the agenda; the committee completed business and scheduled another meeting later in the week.
