HB 2168 Summary

• Increases compulsory school attendance age from 16 years to 18 years of age, requiring children to attend school until age 18 unless exempted.

• Requires parental notarized consent form for students age 18 and older who wish to withdraw from school before completing high school, except those in homeschools.

• Implements a two-year transition period: school year 2014-2015 requires attendance until age 16.5, and 2015-2016 requires attendance until age 17.5, with parental consent forms required for withdrawals above those ages.

• Modifies exemptions in section 15-802 to align with the new age requirement, changing the employment exemption from age 14 to age 16 with parental consent.

• Applies changes to enforcement provisions in sections 15-803 and 15-805 regarding school attendance, truancy definitions, and attendance officer powers.