Notice and complaint by truant officer; penalty
16 V.S.A. § 1127
in effect1127. Notice and complaint by truant officer; penalty
(a) The truant officer, upon receiving the notice and truancy reporting protocol provided in section 1126 of this title, shall inquire into the cause of the nonattendance of the child. If the truant officer finds that the child’s absences are not excusable under section 1123 of this chapter, the truant officer shall give written notice to the parent or guardian that the parent or guardian must comply with the obligations of section 1122 of this chapter.
(b) If the parent or guardian continues to fail, without legal excuse, to cause a child to attend school as required by this chapter after having received the written notice required pursuant to subsection (a) of this section, the truant officer shall enter a complaint to the State’s Attorney of the county and shall provide a statement of the evidence and truancy reporting protocol upon which the complaint is based.
(c) The State’s Attorney may prosecute the person or may file a child in need of supervision petition in accordance with 33 V.S.A. § 5309. Ifcriminal information is filed under this section, a person shall not be fined more than $1,000.00 if, after receiving notice, a person fails, without legal excuse, to cause a child to attend school as required by this chapter. In a prosecution, the complaint, information, or indictment shall be deemed sufficient if it states that the parent or guardian (specifying if the applicable person is a parent or guardian and naming the person) of the child (naming the child) neglects to send that child to a public school or an approved or recognized independent school or a home study program as required by law.
Amended 1981, No. 151 (Adj. Sess.), § 3; 1987, No. 97, § 6, eff. June 23, 1987; 1991, No. 24, § 11; 2013, No. 92 (Adj. Sess.), § 122, eff. Feb. 14, 2014; 2017, No. 93 (Adj. Sess.), § 15; 2025, No. 122 (Adj. Sess.), § 3, eff. July 1, 2026.
Source: Vermont General Assembly (legislature.vermont.gov)URL: https://legislature.vermont.gov/statutes/section/16/025/01127Fetched: 10/21/2026