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1996 SESSION

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HB 173 Juvenile justice; education.

Introduced by: Eric I. Cantor | all patrons    ...    notes | add to my profiles

SUMMARY:

Juvenile justice; education. Requires the local supervising agency, in conjunction with the Department of Correctional Education, the local school division and the juvenile correctional center counselor, to develop a re-enrollment plan for each child committed to the Department of Youth and Family Services. The conditions of the plan may also be made conditions of parole by the court.

The local school boards are required to provide parents with information regarding the compulsory school attendance law and state and local enforcement policies. Parents are to submit an acknowledgment of receipt of this information.

The provisions governing truancy are modified. The penalty for inducing a child to become truant is increased from a Class 4 to a Class 1 misdemeanor. The attendance officer, rather than the principal will be primarily responsible for enforcement. The unexplained failure to attend school for three, rather than seven, consecutive school days, or failure to attend for any 7 days within a 30-day period will result in the attendance officer, rather than the principal, sending a notice to the parent. Currently, the principal's notice requests the parent to either come to school with the child or explain the absence in writing. The bill provides that the attendance officer's notice will advise the parents that they must submit a written explanation and come to school.

The provisions governing reports of criminal activity on school property or at school functions are modified. The annual reports currently made by the division superintendent to the Department of Education are to be made available to the public. Responsibility for reporting possible criminal activity to law-enforcement officials is transferred from the superintendent to the principal.

The bill is recommended by the Governor's Juvenile Justice Reform Commission.


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