8.2 Educational Neglect Guidelines for Reporting by Schools
All parents or guardians having custody or control of a child between the ages of seven and sixteen, must ensure that the child is enrolled in and regularly attends some public, private, parochial school, or home school meeting the statutory requirements for home schooling, or a combination of such school for the full term of the school.
Children between five and seven years of age are not required to be enrolled in school. If they are enrolled in a public school, however, their parents or guardians must ensure that they attend regularly.
The following guidelines are for schools in determining when they should make educational neglect reports:
- Provide identifying information: Child’s name, date of birth, parent name, address, phone number.
- Provide current, accurate attendance dates.
- Explain the adverse impact of non-attendance on the progress of the particular child. (Lack of regular attendance is not, in and of itself, sufficient reason for CD to act. CD is only empowered by law to address minimal standards of family care).
- Document the efforts of the school to work with the family.
- If the child is older, address why this is not truancy. CD is not empowered to enforce truancy laws. Truancy situations should be referred to the Juvenile Office.
- Mention other neglect and abuse concerns for the child, if any.
- Don’t wait until the end of the school year, if at all possible as it is difficult for CD to address school attendance problems with the family when school is out.