New Ohio School Attendance Regulations created by HB 96

How changes to Ohio's truancy laws affect local schools and the court

Ohio House Bill 96, enacted as part of the state’s 2025–2027 operating budget, took effect Sept. 30, 2025 and includes significant changes to attendance and truancy laws. One of the key policy shifts under HB 96 is how schools and juvenile courts respond when students become habitually truant.

Under HB 96, schools are required to adopt attendance policies by Aug. 1, 2026 developed in consultation with their county juvenile court, parents/guardians, and community partners. These policies must outline strategies to prevent chronic absenteeism, procedures for notifying families, and tiered supports to address root causes of absences.

Importantly for courts, the law changes when and how juvenile courts become involved. Previously, schools had to file a truancy complaint in juvenile court within a set timeline after implementing an absence intervention plan. Under the new law, schools must file a complaint only if a student is habitually truant and is not making satisfactory progress in improving attendance. This gives schools and courts more flexibility to focus on early supports rather than automatically moving cases into formal court action.

For the Franklin County Domestic Relations and Juvenile Court, this means continued collaboration with schools but with greater emphasis on monitoring progress and providing services before court filing. Courts will still hear cases involving habitual truancy and parents who have failed to ensure attendance, but those cases are now more selective based on satisfactory progress metrics determined locally.

Overall, HB 96 aims to shift the role of juvenile courts from overseeing routine truancy filings toward supportive, tailored interventions that leverage court resources when necessary. The emphasis shifts from a strictly procedural truancy enforcement model toward a progress-based approach, where courts become involved only if early supports don’t lead to improvement.

Please see the Attendance Model Policy(PDF, 155KB), Attendance Policy Checklist(PDF, 103KB), Pyramid worksheet(PDF, 163KB) and Ohio tiered worksheet(PDF, 265KB) for guidance. School district proposed attendance policies may be submitted to DRJ_YEIS_School_Policy@fccourts.org.