Georgia schools face new absenteeism measures, cell phone ban, and closures

Georgia public school systems made several headlines this week from, measures to reduce chronic absenteeism to announcements of school closures across broad areas. 

Here is a wrap-up of the recent news that could impact students across the state.

• Chronic absenteeism measures
• Cell phone ban
• Atlanta Public School closures

Chronic absenteeism measures

Members of the Georgia Legislature will be considering suggestions to address chronic absenteeism in schools.

The Senate Study Committee on Combatting Chronic Absenteeism released its final recommendations last week to address the issue. Chronic absenteeism refers to students who miss around 18 days of school in a typical school year.

The recommendations include measures, such as barring students from participating in extracurriculars or temporarily suspending their driver’s licenses or permits. The measures would be used to compel students to enter an approved attendance improvement plan.

Cell phone ban

The study committee report also included recommendations to ban cellphones in high schools.

The Distraction-Free Education Act, passed last spring, prohibits personal electronic devices for K-8 students during the school day starting on the 2026-27 academic year.

The Georgia Department of Education wants the ban to extend to high schoolers as well, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

A recent survey showed that 90% of Georgia teachers supported the ban for high schoolers, according to preliminary data from Georgia Southern University’s College of Education and the Professional Association of Georgia Educators.

Atlanta Public School Closures

Atlanta Public Schools are weighing campus closures under its APS Forward 2040 facilities plan because despite the city’s growth, enrollment keeps falling. The district has roughly 20,000 more seats than students, stretching resources thin, according to Georgia Public Broadcasting. 

Tracy Richter, vice president at HPM, the consulting firm that’s leading the redistricting, said consolidating campuses would put money back into classrooms.

“By getting the infrastructure right and not spending our money on unneeded square footage, we spend it on students and we spend it on teachers,” he said. “We spend it all on the resources that students need.”

One proposal would turn Carver Early College High School into a districtwide arts school for grades six through 12. However, Southside families worry they’ll be left out. Resident Monique Nunnally shared her concerns with GPB.

“If it’s not for the kids that can stare out their front yard at this high school, then you’re doing a disservice to my neighborhood,” Nunnally said. “Because these kids just going to go and not have what they need, and these are my babies. These are my kids. These are my streets. I live here.”

Written in collaboration with Alexis Young.