From Punishment to Problem-Solving: How Georgia Districts and Courts Are Responding to SB 123

When Georgia passed SB 123 in July 2025, it signaled a fundamental shift in the state's approach to truancy and chronic absenteeism. Aside from school districts being barred from expelling students for absenteeism alone, educators are being called to identify the root cause, build organized supports, and use court as a last resort.

This shift had already been taking shape across the state before the new legislation, and SB 123 has been an additional force in bringing school communities together and encouraging a more restorative judicial system. 

We recently sat down with attendance improvement leaders from across Georgia. This includes Penny Maggioni, District Social Worker, and Kim McGuire, Executive Director of Student Support Service in Savannah-Chatham County Public School System, as well as Judge Caren Cloud, presiding judge of the Fulton County Juvenile Court. 

We wanted to know what SB 123 meant to them, how they were shifting and expanding their attendance improvement practices, and how districts and courts could work effectively together. The shared priorities and themes that emerged signaled a meaningful shift towards a more restorative approach to improving attendance. Read on for real educator perspectives in this special multi-media blog!

From Punishment to Problem-Solving 

Like many states across the country, Georgia’s truancy systems have historically been punitive. In response to unexcused absences: 

• Absences triggered confusing warning letters.
• Escalation moved quickly toward court.
• Truancy was viewed as a status offense (based on their status as a minor) and students could be detained.

Judge Cloud explained that today, truancy is no longer a status offense (i.e. running away, being unruly, etc). It is first classified as a CHINS (Children in Need of Services) matter. That shift has helped slow the escalation of students and families into the court system, and instead of asking about the punishment, it inquires into the root cause of why the student is missing school. 

District leaders in Savannah-Chatham County echoed this evolution. Staff work together within attendance teams and across family and community partnerships, exploring and offering a wide range of engagement strategies before referring families to court.  

Root Causes Are Often Complex

Under SB 123, Georgia districts are being called to identify and address underlying causes of chronic absenteeism. Many district educators, including those in Savannah-Chatham County, have been working at this for a while. Our conversations confirmed what has long been the case: students who struggle with chronic absenteeism are confronting multiple barriers to attendance. This may be a combination of:

• Transportation gaps
• Lack of uniforms or school supplies
• Physical and mental health challenges
• Housing instability
• Academic struggles
• Peer conflict or bullying
• Family stressors

Savannah-Chatham has responded by building structured attendance systems and supports to help address these root causes, including: 

• District and school-based attendance teams
• Strategic partnerships with community members
• Early outreach from staff and mail and text nudges sent by EveryDay Labs

Kim and Penny share more about the work they’re doing to address these attendance barriers in this quick video:

‍‍

Courts as Partners, Not Punishers

A major theme that emerged from conversations with Savannah-Chatham County and Fulton County was an emphasis on how the courts can serve as a partner in student support, something to be used as the ultimate last resort, and not a hasty punishment mechanism.

In Savannah-Chatham and Fulton Counties, after the district has exhausted all of their options,  the courts still leverage their own community partnerships before bringing a family into a formal court process. 

In Fulton County, families are first routed through a CHINS unit for an informal, pre-adjudication process, including meetings with district staff, root cause assessments, and referrals to community services that may be able to address those root causes. Only after those layers are exhausted does a case proceed to a formal hearing.

In Savannah-Chatham County, there are teams in place that also include juvenile justice liaisons, working to bridge the district’s services with supports from the wider community. Once the district has done everything possible to help address the barriers, students are referred to the Front Porch for an assessment, in the hopes that they can receive the help they need to get back on track insteadh of moving further into the court system. 

The Power of Relationships

‍

Both the district and court perspectives point to the same truth: strong and trusting relationships go a long way. But it’s deceptively simple: in a world of limited time and competing priorities, it’s one of the hardest things to do.  

At the district level, Penny and Kim both emphasized how strong relationships across staff, students, and families are all critical to creating a culture of strong attendance. Ongoing conversations around attendance and alignment on what students need are a necessary foundation to trusting relationships that move the needle. 

Judge Cloud credits the years she has spent building relationships with numerous organizations, including local school systems, district attorneys, and child welfare agencies, to driving a more productive approach to finding restorative solutions. While there may be disagreement, everyone always treats different perspectives with respect, because as Judge Cloud put it, “We are not here to fuss and fight. We are here to get to creative solutions that work for our children.”

Family Engagement: The Lever That Matters Most

Families are critical to improving student attendance, which is why many districts, like Savannah-Chatham County, are making efforts to engage them early and often on the importance of attendance. Kim and Penny both found that many district families often underestimated the importance of attending every day, as well as the amount of days their students were missing. By leveraging supportive outreach, clear messaging around attendance expectations, and consistent conversations, they are slowly building a culture where every family and student understands that they truly miss something when they don’t attend.  

A Shared Responsibility Across Systems

Across the state, Georgia community members are continuing to incorporate more restorative practices for better attendance. Districts are building structured attendance systems. Courts are emphasizing diversion and services. Community partners are jumping in to provide needed support. And all are operating from a shared premise: students attend when their needs are met and they feel connected.

While the important work of improving attendance is still not easy, educators and courts are shifting their framing and continuing to build supportive and restorative systems that encourage more connections to their school communities and future opportunities.  

Are you prepared to answer the call of SB 123, getting to the root cause of chronic absenteeism and setting up the right teams to address attendance barriers? EveryDay Labs can help. Reach out anytime!  

‍