Ohio Decriminalizes Truancy

Ohio lawmakers have approved legislation that would effectively decriminalize truancy and force schools to make the attempt to bring their students back before issuing a juvenile court order.

Previously, if a student was truant they would be suspended or brought into court if they are habitually absent.

The Plain Dealer originally reported that legislators are hoping to treat “playing hooky” as a real solvable issue instead of a crime perpetrated by criminal children. The law is just waiting the signature of Gov. Kasich.

Under new legislation truancy is defined as:

Students missing the equivalent of 5 or more school days in a row, seven days in a month or 12 days in a year. Because Ohio now counts schools hours, not days, those cutoffs become 30, 42, and 72 hours.

After a student is declared habitually truant, an intervention team is assembled and they figure out a way to keep the child at school or put them there in the first place. If no progress is made in two months, then it becomes a delinquency issue and goes to the court. The bill will also ban schools from suspending students for skipping — which is a bit of a conundrum when you think about it.

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