H.B. 181

127th General Assembly

(As Introduced)

 

Reps.     Setzer, Stebelton, Evans, Healy, Combs, Yuko, Harwood, Huffman, Collier, Webster, Brown

BILL SUMMARY

·        Requires each public and nonpublic school (1) to mark the records of a student when the school receives notice from a law enforcement agency that the student has been reported to be a missing child and (2) to notify that law enforcement agency whenever it receives a request for the records.

CONTENT AND OPERATION

Each law enforcement agency is required under continuing law to take a missing child report for any minor who the agency is informed may be a missing child and to make concerted efforts to locate the child.[1]  To facilitate this responsibility, the bill allows (but does not require) the law enforcement agency that takes a missing child report to notify the public or nonpublic school in which the missing child is or was most recently enrolled, as ascertained by the agency.  (R.C. 2901.30(D).) 

If this notification is made, the bill requires the school to mark the student's records so that whenever a copy of or information regarding the records is requested, any school official responding to the request is alerted that the records are those of a reported missing child.  In addition, when a request for the records or information is received, the person in charge of admission must immediately report the request to the law enforcement agency that notified the school that the student might be a missing child. 

The school must remove the mark from the student's record, in such a way that it would be impossible to tell the records were ever marked, upon notification by a law enforcement agency that the student is no longer a missing child.  (R.C. 3313.672(D).)

Background

Under current law not changed by the bill, each public or nonpublic school, within 24 hours of a student's first enrollment in the school, must request the student's official record from the student's former school.  The school must notify the appropriate law enforcement agency that the newly enrolled student may be a missing child if (1) the school does not receive the record within 14 days, (2) the school to which the request was made indicates that it does not have a record for that student, or (3) the student does not provide the school with a birth certificate or other legitimate proof of birthdate and birthplace.  (R.C. 3313.672(A)(3).)

HISTORY

ACTION

DATE

 

 

Introduced

04-24-07

 

 

 

H0181-I-127.doc/jc


[1] The law defines a "missing child" as a minor (person under 18 years old) who either (1) has run away from or otherwise is missing from the home of, or the care, custody, and control of, the minor's parent or other person responsible for care of the minor or (2) is missing and there is reason to believe the minor is a victim of kidnapping, abduction, unlawful restraint, interference with custody, or the former offense of child stealing (R.C. 2901.30(A)).