State Senator Jason T. Dickerson (R–Canton) recently introduced Senate Bill (SB) 513 to address chronic student absenteeism in Georgia public schools.
The State Senator issued a lengthy statement coinciding with the announcement, in which he discussed the importance of consistent school attendance. He pointed out how it’s one of the strongest predictors of future success and believes that the next generation is owed this assurance.
“We owe it to the next generation to set them on the path toward a bright future, and encouraging our students to show up each day is the first step,” Sen. Dickerson explained. “SB 513 equips schools and parents with structured tools to address unexcused absences early while reinforcing the importance of personal responsibility.”
SB 513
Also known as the Every Day Counts Act, this legislation defines a chronically unexcused student as one whose total number of unexcused absences exceeds five during the first 50 school days or reaches 10% of the school days that have occurred to date.
As a solution, SB 513 would mandate a multi-tiered intervention framework, in which students with the most unexcused absences would receive formal attendance intervention plans to improve their engagement.
Additionally, the bill would more closely tie school attendance to eligibility for extracurricular and interscholastic activities and authorize the Department of Driver Services (DDS) to restrict eligibility for an instruction permit or driver’s license. If the student’s compliance with an attendance intervention plan improves, their privileges would be restored.
For context, SB 513 builds upon the work of the Senate Study Committee on Combating Chronic Absenteeism in Schools, which was established by SB 123, signed into law by Governor Brian Kemp (R-GA) in 2025.
The legislation recently passed out of the Senate Committee on Education and Youth and now awaits further action in the Senate Committee on Rules.
Sen. Jason T. Dickerson Introduces Legislation to Combat Chronic Absenteeism in Georgia Public Schools. Read more: https://t.co/dgIZaJ5qEy #gapol #gasenate pic.twitter.com/wH17O6nM5N
— Georgia State Senate (@GASenatePress) February 23, 2026
