The bill amends sections 2151.354, 2152.19, and 2919.24 of the Revised Code to enhance the legal framework surrounding truancy and juvenile delinquency. It introduces provisions that allow courts to maintain jurisdiction over a child for the following school year to monitor attendance and mandates participation in programs such as drug or alcohol counseling, community service, and academic support. The court is also granted the authority to impose sanctions, including the suspension of a child's driver's license or mandatory attendance at alternative schools for habitual truancy. Additionally, the bill outlines the responsibilities of parents or guardians, including potential community service requirements and warnings about criminal charges for non-compliance, while ensuring that relevant school districts are notified within ten days of a child's adjudication as unruly.

Moreover, the bill specifies that if a child is adjudicated as delinquent for violating a court order related to a previous unruly adjudication for habitual truancy, the responsible parent or guardian must be warned that future violations could result in criminal charges against them. It also allows probation officers to search the delinquent child's person, residence, and property if there are reasonable grounds for non-compliance with community control conditions. The bill clarifies that an adjudication of a child as unruly or delinquent is not necessary for a conviction of contributing to a child's unruliness or delinquency, classifying violations as a first-degree misdemeanor with each day of violation treated as a separate offense. Additionally, it repeals existing sections of the Revised Code that are made obsolete by these amendments.

Statutes affected:
As Introduced: 2151.354, 2152.19, 2919.24