This bill amends the Nebraska Revised Statutes to address truancy and juvenile court jurisdiction by introducing a new definition for "habitually truant from school." A child aged thirteen to under seventeen will be considered habitually truant if they accumulate twenty or more unexcused absences in a school year and experience a documented loss of educational attainment. The bill expands the juvenile court's jurisdiction to include habitual truancy cases and establishes a defense for juveniles with fewer than twenty unexcused absences under certain conditions, such as illness or lack of transportation.

Additionally, the bill mandates that school districts create written attendance policies in collaboration with county attorneys, focusing on excessive absences due to illness and outlining steps to be taken before reaching twenty absences. Schools are required to notify families in writing before referring a child to the county attorney for excessive absences, and absences due to illness cannot be the basis for such referrals. The bill emphasizes the importance of documenting efforts to address absenteeism, providing a defense against prosecution if schools fail to do so, and allows for county attorney involvement at any stage to support students and their families effectively.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 43-245, 43-247, 43-276, 79-206, 79-209