Bill Would Modify Compulsory Age of Education in Georgia

As many of us well know, the compulsory age of education in Georgia is 6 to 16. What some of us may not know is that there currently is a bill in the Georgia State Senate that would modify this. Senate Bill 21, a bill sponsored by Sen. Donzella James (D-35), would change the compulsory age of education to 5 to 17.

This would have a couple of very important and significant impacts on all Georgia parents, students and school districts. First, this would change the fact that kindergarten is not currently mandatory in Georgia. This bill, if it were signed into law would legislate that all children in Georgia must now attend kindergarten. Second, no student in Georgia would be able to leave school until they reach the age of 17, which in many cases would be their junior year in high school.

Opponents of this bill are vehemently opposed to increasing the age to 17, but are also concerned about the additional cost to local school districts by making kindergarten mandatory and make the following points. First, by definition, compulsory education is where the State of Georgia, by penalty of law, forces children to be in school between certain ages. Any modification of those ages should not be taken lightly. Second, this bill could possibly conflict with federal law. If a child is able to join the military at 16 and does so, they would at that point be in violation of Georgia law and subject to penalty.

“Forcing 17-year-olds into a classroom against their will is bad public policy – bad for teachers who want to teach and students who want to learn,” State Rep. Ed Setzler (R-Acworth) said.

Supporters of this bill believe that the expansion of the compulsory age of education will have a positive impact on the Georgia education system. By mandating that children attend Kindergarten, our children will be much more prepared for first grade and less likely to fall behind. By expanding the mandatory age to 17, our students are that much closer to graduation before they are allowed to drop out of school. This may lead to an increase in our graduation rate. The Georgia PTA supports this bill and generally favors keeping children in school through graduation.

There are a number of things that must happen to this bill before it could possibly become law, and its future is quite undetermined. Whether we favor or oppose this bill, it is in all of our best interest to be aware that this is being discussed at the state level.