Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Georgia study committee: chronic absenteeism rose sharply after COVID; leaders call for nurses, social workers and local partnerships
Summary
A Georgia House study committee met to review state data and research showing chronic absenteeism roughly doubled since before the pandemic, discuss causes and consider interventions including school nurses, social workers, early-warning systems and community partnerships such as Communities In Schools.
A House study committee reviewing student attendance heard on Tuesday that chronic absenteeism in Georgia rose substantially after the COVID-19 pandemic and that targeting health supports, home and community services, and school-based early interventions could reduce learning loss.
Committee Chairman Chris Erwin, chairman of the House Committee on Education, opened the meeting saying the group was created to study “student attendance and pre‑K through 12 education” and to gather evidence that could inform policy and funding decisions.
The committee heard three presentations. Gary McGivney, who chaired a Student Attendance subcommittee of the Georgia Reading Cabinet, summarized a six‑month review and said the committee focused on drivers of absence and proven practices to improve attendance. “Twenty percent of our students are missing three weeks or more of school during the school year,” McGivney told the committee, noting that the subcommittee chose a 15‑day benchmark to allow consistent comparisons…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
