A Truancy Program shall be established by operation of this chapter. Referrals to the Truancy Program shall be made in the following manner:
(A) The Director of the city’s Truancy Program shall receive all referrals from the referring entities described in § 134.033.
(B) The Director shall request that all parents and students meet with the school’s guidance counselor, social worker, school resource officer, truancy officer, or other designee to discuss (subject to the parents’ right to due process) the nature and circumstances of the violation and possible remedial actions to be taken, If the Director determines that all remedial actions available to the school have been exhausted or are unlikely to succeed, the Director shall proceed as described in divisions (C) and (D) below.
(C) The Director shall forward all referrals regarding juveniles to the local office of the State Department of Child Services and/or the Juvenile Division of the Lake Superior Court, and shall forward all referrals regarding violations of § 134.032 by adult offenders to the City Attorney, to be reviewed for the filing of a citation in the City Court.
(D) It is the intention and expectation of this subchapter that the State Department of Child Services and/or the Juvenile Division of the Lake Superior Court shall refer all city truancy matters to the Truancy Program established in this chapter, as a condition of a program of informal adjustment pursuant to the provisions of I.C. 31-37-9.
(E) It is further the intention and expectation of this chapter that the City Attorney shall recommend the Truancy Program as an appropriate pre-trial deferral alternative to be employed in ordinance violation matters filed pursuant to this subchapter.
(F) The City Attorney shall direct notices to parents as described in § 134.035 and shall initiate proceedings as described in further sections of this subchapter, pursuant to its authority upon the issuance of a citation.
(G) It is further the intention and expectation of this subchapter that the City Court, in the event of a plea of guilty by or a finding of liability against the parent/parents charged with a violation of this subchapter shall, in the discretion of the Court, consider the Truancy Program as one of the methods of punishment for a violation of § 134.032 involving adult offenders.
(Ord. 19-0008, passed 7-22-2019)