Students who skip school could face new punishments, including loss of driver’s license

Students with too many unexcused absences would be barred from playing sports and could lose their driver’s license under legislation approved by the state Senate last week.

Sen. Jason Dickerson, R-Canton, authored SB 513, which he said reinforces the connection between responsibility and opportunity.

And is also designed to address “chronic” absenteeism in public schools, defined as missing a tenth or more of the school year.

A legislative study committee last summer found that more than one in five students had missed more than 15 days of school in 2024, nearly double the rate in 2019.

The rate missing six to 15 days climbed to 42%, six points higher than in 2019.

The study committee heard proposals to address the problem, such as prohibiting participation in extracurricular and interscholastic sports and suspending driver’s licenses.

Those are the punishments present in Senate Bill 513, co-sponsored by numerous senators, including several in leadership posts.

The punishment would only be a last resort.

Schools would have to first identify students at risk of missing too many days, then they would have to craft attendance intervention plans with the student and parents.

The student would have to sign the plan, and noncompliance would trigger the sanctions.

The measure was popular with both Republicans and Democrats.

Sen. RaShaun Kemp, D-Atlanta, who was a high school principal and now serves on the board of an Atlanta charter school said if kids are not in school, they can’t learn.

One lawmaker had an issue with it, though.
Sen. Jaha Howard, D-Smyrna, who served on the Cobb County school board, said the idea was “wonderful,” but he also thought it burdensome for teachers, since the state would not help fund the mandates.

Among the requirements in SB513, are that school districts assemble systemwide attendance review teams, with school-based teams required at schools where at least 15% of the student body is chronically absent.
The measure passed 46-1, with Howard opposed. It now heads to the state House.