Bill > HB518

This bill modifies Ohio's legal provisions regarding truancy and contributing to the delinquency of a child, with several key changes. For children adjudicated as unruly due to habitual truancy, the bill allows courts to maintain jurisdiction over the child during the subsequent school year specifically to monitor attendance. The bill also clarifies that a parent can be criminally charged for contributing to a child's truancy even without a formal adjudication of the child as unruly or delinquent. The legislation provides courts with expanded options for addressing truancy, including requiring children to participate in truancy prevention mediation programs, community service, academic programs, or counseling. Additionally, the bill allows courts to warn parents that subsequent truancy-related adjudications could result in criminal charges against them. The changes aim to provide more comprehensive and flexible interventions for addressing chronic school absence, with an emphasis on monitoring, prevention, and parental accountability. The bill makes technical amendments to several sections of the Ohio Revised Code related to juvenile court proceedings, truancy, and parental responsibilities.

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https://www.legislature.ohio.gov/legislation/136/hb518