His wife is a Cabinet liaison for Ridge. One bill would require parental attendance at hearings before district justices. The other would require parental attendance at hearings before the court of common pleas. Current law allows, but does not require, parental participation at these hearings. However, in cases where they do, they have seen a reduction in juvenile recidivism rates.
Most juveniles begin lives of crime with minor offenses.
Getting parents involved early can break the cycle. This bill would allow school districts to notify local police of students who are habitually truant, particularly on the days when those students are absent from school. It also would allow school districts to contract with local police departments to provide attendance and truancy enforcement services. Police currently have the power to enforce truancy laws, but they can't know a student is habitually truant and absent from school on any given day unless school districts can quickly and easily share that information with them.