H.B. 319
128th General Assembly
(As Introduced)
Reps. S. Williams, Luckie, Domenick, Yuko, Koziura, Boyd
BILL SUMMARY
· Requires the parent or guardian of each student enrolled in a school district rated continuous improvement or lower to attend at least one parent-teacher conference, for each child enrolled in the district, prior to December 31 of the school year.
· Requires the board of each school district rated continuous improvement or lower to fine a parent or guardian $50 for each required parent-teacher conference the parent fails to attend, unless the parent can show good cause for nonattendance.
CONTENT AND OPERATION
(R.C. 3321.30(A) to (C))
The bill requires the parent of each student enrolled in a school district with an academic performance rating of continuous improvement or lower to attend at least one parent-teacher conference prior to December 31 of the school year.[1] For the most part, "parent" means either of the student's natural or adoptive parents. But if the parents are divorced or separated and there is not a shared parenting agreement, "parent" means the residential parent. If the child's grandparent has a caretaker affidavit or is named an attorney-in-fact under a power of attorney, "parent" means the grandparent, and that grandparent must comply with the bill. If a court has appointed custody to an agency or to a person other than the child's parents, or if a court has appointed a guardian for the student, "parent" means the custodian or guardian, and that agency or person must comply with the bill.
The bill specifies that the conference must provide an opportunity for the parent and the student's teachers to establish expectations of the student for the school year, discuss the student's performance at school, and foster effective communication. If a parent has more than one child enrolled in the district, the parent must attend at least one conference for each child.
(R.C. 3321.30(D) to (G))
The bill requires the board of education of each school district with an academic performance rating of continuous improvement or lower to impose a $50 fine on a parent for each child for whom the parent fails to attend at least one parent-teacher conference, as required by the bill. For example, if a parent has two children enrolled in the district and did not attend a conference for either of them, the parent would be fined $100. If the parent attended a conference for only one of the two children, the parent would be fined $50 for missing the conference for the other child.
Each affected district board also must annually inform the district's parents of the bill's requirements for them to attend conferences and for the board to impose fines for nonattendance. The bill specifies that, to the extent possible, this notification must be provided prior to the opening day of school.
When imposing a fine, the board must send a notification to the parent that states the amount of the fine, methods of payment, deadline for payment, and procedures for appealing the fine. If a parent shows "good cause" for not attending the required parent-teacher conference, the board must waive the fine. The bill requires each board to use those fines solely to pay the costs of establishing and operating mentoring programs for students or other volunteer programs.
HISTORY
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ACTION |
DATE |
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Introduced |
10-19-09 |
H0319-I-128.docx/jc
[1] In August each year, the Department of Education issues an academic performance report card for each school district and each school building. On this report card, the district or building is rated based on attendance rate, graduation rate, and student scores on state achievement tests. Districts and schools are rated as "excellent," "effective," "in need of continuous improvement," "academic watch," or "academic emergency" (R.C. 3302.03, not in the bill).