Teacher absenteeism is a formidable obstacle to cost-effective education, academic achievement, orderly school operation, and amiable school-community relations. This study examined the relationship between school district policies on sick leave and teacher attendance rates in Georgia--in particular, the degree to which policy provisions for the buy-back of sick leave deterred teacher absenteeism in Georgia school districts. "Buy-back" refers to the practice of school boards paying teachers a dollar amount for accumulated unused sick leave. Data were collected through a survey of 183 Georgia school-district superintendents. The initial response rate was 50 percent; however, 31 percent of the total surveys were usable. The survey requested data for the dependent variable, teacher attendance rate, and 15 independent variables for district policy. Pearson r and the independent t test for two samples were used to analyze the data. The tests confirmed the null hypothesis, which stated that there is no significant relationship between the amount of buy-back for sick-leave provisions and teacher attendance rates in Georgia. However, the directionality of the findings tended to support the notion that buy-back provisions reduce absences. These findings may be explained by the lack of collective bargaining in Georgia, the low dollar amount of payment for unused sick leave, or the predominance of small districts in the sample. Appendices contain a copy of the survey, sample cover and followup letters, and a definition of terms. Three tables are included. (LMI)