Bibb County Schools will ‘show more teeth’ on student absences. What to know

The Bibb County School District plans to intensify its focus on reducing chronic absenteeism in the 2025-26 school year, with leaders vowing to “show more teeth” in enforcing attendance policies and supporting families to get students back in the classroom.

Superintendent Dan Sims named low student attendance as one of two top priorities for the district for the upcoming school year, alongside improving literacy — both persistent districtwide issues.

Chronic absenteeism is defined as a student missing 10% or more of the school year. In 2025, 28.5% of Bibb County students were chronically absent, according to recent state data. While the numbers have improved compared to previous years, they remain higher than state averages.

Sims said the district’s strategy will focus on early intervention and increased parental accountability, supported by a new truancy officer position approved by the Bibb County Board of Commissioners in July. The role will be funded for three years using $345,000 in revenue from automatic speed zone cameras at schools.

“That person will not only help us in the space of truancy and following through with the courts, but also to help in identifying what those barriers are, and if we can remove those barriers, we definitely will,” Sims said.

With classes resuming on Aug. 4, the district’s most immediate plan is to contact families previously identified with attendance issues and track those students’ attendance from day one, Sims said.

Sims said the district will support families facing challenges, but will also hold parents accountable when necessary.

“Families should look for much more communication from us as it relates to attendance,” he said. “There will be more teeth because at the end of the day ... we recognize it is the responsibility of the parent or guardian to make sure that child is at school.

“There’s no way around that, and we don’t want to be so nice that we miss the opportunity for our children to receive what they deserve,” he added.

What contributes to absenteeism in Macon schools?

The chronic absenteeism rates in Bibb County Schools have outpaced those of the state for the last four years.

Sims said while factors such as transportation issues, inclement weather, and health or safety concerns play a role in high absences, specific causes are not always easy to define.

“What we’re finding is that we really can’t put, in my opinion, a legitimate stamp on why students are chronically absent,” he said. “I believe it’s unfair to the child to have students out for an inordinate amount of days, knowing that at the very least you can contact your school and let the school know what the issue is.”

Sims said he wants to strike a balance between compassion and urgency.

“I’m going to stand in the gap on behalf of children but also be gracious to parents to say, ‘What can we do to help make sure your child is at school every day?’” he said. “I’m going to almost demand an answer, because what I don’t want is for years or decades to pass and the child looks back and asks, ‘Why did I miss school so much? Why wasn’t that a priority for me?’”

What will the truancy specialist do?

Sims clarified that the new role approved this month will be a truancy specialist — not a traditional truancy officer. Rather than the idea of “going around banging on doors,” the specialist will focus on identifying barriers to attendance and working with families to overcome the obstacles, he said.

“This is more of a community engagement approach,” Sims said. “We realize it takes more than just being tunnel-focused on truancy because we realize it takes more than that to get students in school.”

The district already has a truancy task force that meets with families to discuss attendance concerns, but Sims said the full-time specialist will allow for faster and more targeted intervention than in the past.

“There will be, maybe in those cases, where we need to engage the court. That’s an absolute last resort for us,” Sims said. “When I say ‘more teeth,’ I mean having an additional person in the space whose sole focus is all things truancy and attendance. It gives us greater strength to ensure timely intervention when students are facing truancy challenges.”

Sims said he hopes the truancy specialist will be on board before the school year begins.

Macon-Bibb County spokesperson Chris Floore said Mayor Lester Miller has signed the resolution authorizing the role’s funding for the district, and the process is moving through the county system.

Floore said it’s a possibility that the county will keep paying the truancy role beyond the initial three years.

“Reducing the truancy rate is very important to the mayor and commission because we need our students to be in school and present, so this will be a discussion they definitely will be having in the future,” Floore said.

Community collaboration

The district’s efforts come as Georgia’s Senate Bill 123 takes effect. The new law updates the state’s compulsory attendance laws and requires school districts to take more responsibility in addressing absenteeism. Under SB 123, local boards of education are now required to adopt policies that identify and support chronically absent students, rather than penalize them.

The legislation also ensures that students cannot be expelled solely due to excessive absences.

Sims said Bibb is already taking steps to meet those requirements.

“We’ve already started that process with the judges here,” he said. “While it’s nothing 100% new, we do appreciate the additional emphasis.”

Sims said the district’s approach aligns with the intent of Senate Bill 123 and hinges on community collaboration.

“It’s so important for us to continue strengthening our relationship with the community because we don’t ever want it to be us against them,” he said. “But at the same time — realizing that we can’t play around when it comes to children. We’ve seen enough of that, and it’s gotten us nowhere.”